Space West Newsletter Summer 2025
Welcome
Welcome to the Summer 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.
The Space West, Invest Bristol and Bath, and NCC were at UK Space Conference last month. Thank you to all those who stopped by, it was great to see new and familiar faces in Manchester. The event provided a fantastic opportunity to connect with colleagues across the sector, and it was great to see the breadth of talent and activity across the country.
A big thank you, also, to the Satellite Applications Catapult team and everyone involved in planning the numerous socials during the conference!
Space West was also proud to support OHB UK by putting together a supplier event the evening before the conference commenced. A huge thank you to all those who attended and showcased, it was brilliant to see so many exciting products and innovations across the UK. Be sure to keep up to date with OHB UK’s next steps, particularly if you have the skillset to join them as they work to expand their workforce.
If you weren’t able to attend, or didn’t catch us, don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing [email protected]. We’re always happy to discuss ways of connecting with the cluster.
Our first Cosmic Catch-Up is round the corner. From Friday 19th September, we will be hosting monthly coffee mornings at NCC. From 8.30am–9.30am, every 3rd Friday of the month, we'll be bringing the community together to connect, share ideas, and stay in the loop with what’s happening across the space sector and South West.
Speaker slots are beginning to fill up, so please get in touch if you would like to present at one of the following themed sessions:
- 19th September 2025 – A Quantum Future in Space
- 17th October 2025 – Manufacturing in Space
- 21st November 2025 – Position Navigation and Timing
- 19th December 2025 – Investment [date to be rescheduled]
These informal meet-ups are a chance for SMEs, academics and industry professionals to drop in, hear what others are working on, and spark new collaborations. They’ll be comprised of short spotlights on recent developments, opportunities to showcase projects, and themed discussions based on current trends in the space industry.
Interested in attending or being a guest speaker? Would you like to suggest a theme for a 2026 session? Please email us at [email protected], we’d love to hear from you.
Our Cluster Manager, Becky Huffee, spoke to help stakeholders to help them understand the role of the cluster and how this can enable collaboration between industry and academia at University of Bath’s Eureka 2025! Physics for Security. The conference focused on emerging new science, as well as technology that is not yet mature, but has significant potential to be.
Alongside Hendrik Van Eerten, Space West’s Philippe Blondel, Marcus Donnelly and Business Partnerships at Bath, Becky contributed to the ‘Remote sensing, machine learning and fluid dynamics: astronomers’ toolkit for industrial collaboration’ session.
Thank you to all those who attended the ‘Meet The Steering Board’ event at the beginning of July. The turn-out confirmed we need some more regular socials, and maybe a bigger room next time. And, as always, thank you to our Steering Board for representing us.
We have two more Steering Board meetings planned before the end of the year, which will help us continue to shape our strategy and future.
If you’re exploring funding options for your space-related project or business, we recommend checking out Space South Central’s July Funding Flash here. It’s a useful round-up of current opportunities.
Space West Cluster Manager Becky Huffee and CySpace’s Jessie Hamill-Stewart were at the Space Information Sharing Advice Centre (SISAC), UK Space Energy Cyber Crisis (SECC) Table-Top Exercise (TTX) last month.
This scenario-based discussion was designed to simulate a real-world crisis and help teams walk through their response plans with the intention of fostering dialogue, collaboration and pre-emptive decision-making.
It was a great opportunity to develop an enhanced understanding of the roles and responsibilities at play in a space crisis, and the team gained invaluable insight from attending.
Space West is spearheading UK efforts to strengthen the security of the UK Space sector, through the delivery of the CySpace programme, UK Space Agency’s Space Security Roadshows and supporting UK efforts to stand up a UK Space ISAC in support of a global Space ISAC.
It’s not too late to join us in Bremen for Space Tech Expo later this year. We have secured a large stand in the main hall beside the UK Government stand, and will be seeking regional businesses from across the South West to be represented on it. Most of the cost of the stand will be borne by the South West Space Partnership. There will be a £500 charge for businesses wishing to participate, which will include:
- Logo and collateral on the stand
- Use of the stand for meetings
- Participation in a business engagement programme (details to be confirmed)
If you would like to be involved, please email us at [email protected] with the following information: Contact name, organisation name and two to three sentences describing your business’ work in the space sector.
On the 9th July, Cluster Manager Becky Huffee attended the Defence, Simulation, Education & Training conference in Bristol.
Becky participated on a panel with Space South Central’s Louise Butt and UK Space Agency’s Craig Needham. Chaired by UK Space Agency’s Fiona Stone, the panel discussed opportunities in the space sector.
The CySpace CCN has completed the first 4 Mapping Workshops and is ready to go with the final two in London and Edinburgh later this year.
- London, UCL – 4th September
- Edinburgh, Edinburgh Climate Change Institute – 23rd September
These workshops have brought together a diverse group of participants from government, academia, and industry to exchange valuable insights on cyber security and space domain awareness. The blend of expertise and perspectives made for engaging and thought-provoking discussions, and we’re grateful to everyone who contributed. The aim of these workshops is to capture regional capabilities that map onto requirements for space security for SDA- this will be used inform government around the critical areas that need to be addressed to strengthen UK security.
If you are interested in taking part, we encourage you to register early here. Please note that expressing interest does not guarantee a place, but we will follow up with you once we receive your registration. Should you have any issues with the form, please email [email protected].
If you cannot attend either event in-person, you can still contribute your knowledge via the online survey. All responses are greatly valued and appreciated. Link to survey.
And be sure to catch Satellite Applications Catapult’s In-Orbit podcast, with CySpace’s Jessie Hamill-Stewart, Simone Hartless and Phil Carvil, hosted by Dallas Campbell. Link to podcast.
Spotlight on...
Check out our 'Spotlight' on section to discover stand out companies making waves in the regions space industry. Learn about innovations, achievements, products and contributions to the field. This month, we're showcasing FMS (Facilities Monitoring Systems Ltd).
FMS (Facilities Monitoring Systems Ltd), part of the Trescal family, is a market-leading provider of contamination control solutions for industries reliant on clean environments, including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and the growing space sector. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, FMS supplies and installs advanced continuous monitoring systems to ensure cleanroom integrity.
As the exclusive UK & Ireland Channel Partner for TSI Inc., FMS integrates world-class airborne particle counters into its systems to detect harmful particles in real time, enabling immediate intervention. In space-related cleanrooms, contamination risks include viable particles – biologically active threats like bacteria, fungi, and skin flakes – that can damage sensitive equipment and compromise missions.
FMS’s BioTrak™ Real-Time Viable Particle Counter is the ideal solution, instantly detecting microbial particles and triggering real-time alarms. The company’s expertise extends to the high-sensitivity AeroTrak™ 9110 particle counter which detects contaminants as small as 0.1 microns. The 9110 is used at the University of Leicester’s Space Park to protect a sterile environment that will contain Mars soil samples. In addition, FMS offers other portable and handheld particle counters that can be valuable in Space sector operations.
Headquartered in Malvern, Worcestershire – within the UK’s Space West Cluster region – FMS commercial and technical team members will be regular contributors to Cluster meetings, conferences and innovation initiatives.