Space West Newsletter - October 2025
Welcome
Welcome to the October edition of our Space West Newsletter. With each newsletter, we aim to share the most recent discoveries, advancements, and stories from the world of Space in the South West.
About Space West
The Space West programme is hosted by NCC and is funded by the UK Space Agency. It is supported by founding partners including the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, the Centre for Modelling and Simulation, the University of Bath, the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England. Reinforced by strong endorsement from industry champions, the Space Cluster has provided the momentum for the development of an ambitious and timely regional space strategy.
Last month saw the launch of the West of England Combined Authority’s Local Growth Plan that sets out bold and ambitious plans for the delivery of growth in the region.
The Growth Strategy states the ambition to deliver 28 % economic growth over the next ten years across the region.
The Growth strategy notes the importance of the space sector in the region highlighting that breadth of capability in the space domain and proposing a dedicated 'Space Innovation Centre of Excellence'. This will focus on space security and specialist facilities for assembly, integration and validation of space systems to unlock access to a global space market and strengthening UK resilience in the space domain.
Space West has worked closely with the West of England Combined Authority to evolve the strategy and continues to work with their teams to secure investment into the region and engage with UK government to identify gaps and opportunities.
Space West was delighted to host a visit from Deputy CEO Chris White-Horn earlier this month to showcase regional capabilities and potential for growth in the region.
Chris had the opportunity to visit OHB in their new offices at the Bristol and Bath Science Park to learn more about their plans for the region and opportunities for collaboration.
He took a tour of CFMS’s Collaborative Space Data Centre (COSDAC) an investment enabled by UK Space Agency’s Space Cluster Infrastructure Funding and discussed the ESA Large AI & Robotics Space Simulation (LARS Sim) programme that will accelerate the next generation of complex large scale space missions and innovations.
He met with ReOrbit’s Vice President of Software, Simon Wheeler, in their newly acquired home at the science park to hear about their vision for novel sovereign satellite systems.
We finished the visit with a tour of the NCC, the centre of excellence for composite technologies and part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult to highlight the role that the NCC is playing in supporting materials and manufacturing technologies for satellite and launch structures.
Next in our Cosmic Catch Up series: Position Navigation and Timing - Threats & Opportunities happening on Friday 28th November from 08:30-10:00 at NCC.
Our Space West Cosmic Catch Ups are an opportunity to network and learn about regional capabilities and opportunities. These informal breakfast networking event take a different topic each month and bring together speakers from across the region and UK to highlight what is new in this space - please excuse the pun!
If you have ideas for topics that we should focus on please drop us a line at [email protected]. You can register for our next event below.
In true Space West fashion we would love for you to join us for an evening of fun and festivities to celebrate the Christmas period.
Come join us for a space themed Christmas quiz (yes I know - I bet you can’t wait for the picture round!) followed by drinks and networking on the Wednesday 17th December at the Royal Navy Volunteer on King's Street, Bristol, starting at 6:30pm - register your interest below.
Space West’s Cluster Manager, Rebecca Huffee was invited to support the launch of ICOMAT’s new facility opening. This facility was enabled by UK Space Agency Space Cluster Infrastructure Funding which catalysed a further £23M of private investment.
The energy in the room following the welcome and tour highlights what an incredible technology the team has developed and it is set to revolutionise the lightweighting of structures across space, defence, aerospace and automotive sectors. The company has seen extraordinary growth, expanding from eighteen to seventy four staff in only eighteen months, with a new facility in Daytona, US under development.
Please be informed that activities that may be of interest to you have been published in GSTP 2026-2028 Compendia.
To express your interest, you are invited to complete a form indicating activities of your interest in OSIP GSTP Compendia 2026-2028 Campaign. The form is open till 31st October 2025, and takes 5 minutes to fill in. The responses will be made available to the delegations with the aim for items with received interest to progress forward to open competitive procurements in the GSTP Element 1 Work Plan leading to successful technology developments and products.
GSTP Compendia 2026-2028
Dedicated OSIP Campaign open till 31st October 2025: https://shorturl.at/xMP8z
Document on esa-star Publication News: https://shorturl.at/k2oCN
Article coverage: https://shorturl.at/0aaKk
For more information on the different Technology/ Specific Areas, please take a look at the ESA Strategy 2040.
As space becomes an increasingly vital domain for society, the economy, and national security, it is also becoming more congested, contested, and competitive. Innovation continues to expand the capabilities of space systems, making them essential - but also more vulnerable to a range of risks.
To address these challenges, the UK Space Agency’s Security & Resilience Team is hosting a series of workshops across the UK’s cluster networks and regions. These events aim to raise awareness of the risks associated with operating in the space ecosystem and to foster a stronger security mindset among space organisations.
Read more and see a list of upcoming events below.