Space West - Winter 2024

Welcome to the Winter 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

Space West is a regional consortium of academic and industry partners designed to accelerate growth and innovation in the space sector within the region and nationally. The Space West programme is hosted by the National Composites Centre, in partnership with West of England Combined Authority, the Centre for Modelling and Simulation, the University of Bath, the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England.

Space West Regional Map 

CFMS announced this month that they have been awarded a pioneering innovation contract from the European Space Agency to deliver Large AI & Robotics Space Simulation (LARS Sim), a next-generation simulation platform set to accelerate space mission development with breakthrough capabilities. 

As space exploration advances, future missions increasingly depend on sophisticated, complex ConOps scenarios often including robotics, AI and intelligent systems. LARS Sim tackles one of the biggest challenges – creating highly realistic, data centre-enabled simulators that can handle thousands of high-fidelity scenes to support advanced concept development, verification, and validation of complex missions and autonomous systems. 

What sets LARS Sim apart is its ability to leverage data centre-powered multi-scene and multi-view rendering, combined with AI-driven tools. To help small, expert teams manage the enormous volume of scenes generated, the fully developed concept will utilise Deep Learning-based AI techniques that simplify scene distribution and streamline assessments, ensuring rapid, high-quality insights. 

This contract is the first phase, carried out as a part of ESA’s GSTP programme which aims to de-risk key enablers by redefining how mission concepts progress from ideas to operational reality using advanced techniques. We’re excited to be leading this change-making innovation in the space sector. Stay tuned for updates as we take this journey with ESA to shape the future of mission simulation and accelerate the path to space. 

Dr Mark Woods, CSO at CFMS said: “We’re at a pivotal moment in the space industry, where bold ambition demands pioneering tools to keep pace. LARS Sim is a critical first step in meeting this need – accelerating advanced innovations to transform how we bring complex missions to life from concept to operational success.” 

We have had a busy month with events this November.  

 We led off with taking a delegation of over 30 businesses from across the South West to Space Tech Expo, Bremen as part of the South West Space Partnership.  The South West Space Partnership is a partnership between Invest Bristol and Bath, Space West and Cornwall Space Cluster – aimed at securing Inward Investment into the region.   

Day 1: We kicked off with an impactful networking evening, connecting South West businesses with broader UK clusters and international partners. 
 
It featured talks from Matthew Archer (UK Space Agency), Gail Eastaugh (Cornwall Space Cluster), Rebecca Huffee (SpaceWest), and withZacharias Bowen (Invest Bristol & Bath) - setting the tone for collaboration and innovation. 
 
Day 2: Was full of B2B meetings, highlighting the South West’s aerospace and advanced engineering sector and our leading role in space innovation. 
 
Day 3: The event concluded with the UK Space Ecosystem Breakfast, hosted by the Department for Business and Trade and the UK Space Agency. This session highlighted the South West’s emergence as the UK’s third-largest space cluster and its accelerating growth. 

As the biggest Space Expo in Europe it was great to see the focus on getting business done- this meant that our delegation came away with contracts, leads and NDAs in place to drive opportunities into the future.   

Next up we had an event focused on how the South West could leverage its strengths in robotics and intelligent systems to disrupt and accelerate mission life cycles ‘To Boldly Go Together’. Mark Woods, CSO and Head of RAS, CFMS and chair of the panel summarised his reflections: 

‘A huge thank you to our fabulous panel, Sally Mortimore Doherty (Graphcore), Antonia Tzemanaki (BRL, University of Bristol, Simon Reid (D-Orbit), Ryan Page (Ultrleap), Lucy P.(TechSpark), our very engaged audience, and our hosts,Andy ReedandWest of England Combined Authority, for making the event so productive. We all learned a great deal from each other, and the discussion highlighted the importance of: 
 
·     A compelling narrative and vision for a regional mission (in the space sense of the word) that is clear, authentic, and easily understood, with benefits clearly articulated 
·     The immense potential of robotics and Intelligent Systems technology, both in this region and beyond 
·     The ongoing need for other voices and Cross-Sector learning – a key theme of the evening 
·     Providing an accessible front door for non-space businesses 
·     The value of an integrated ecosystems, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, but one that requires a shared mission to coalesce around 
·     A commitment to fail fast, iterative learning, and… 
·     Leveraging facilities and new types of tools and digital simulation capabilities to enable that positive disruption 
·     The importance of the rightleadership, culture and organisational makeup 
·     And, last but certainly not least, being clear on the commercial rationale and larger 'why' behind our mission 
 
We’ll be following up on the various points discussed above and look forward to advancing the key themes of the conversation at NY25.’ 

Finally we rounded out the year with a final Space West Networking event hosted by the National Composites Centre.  We heard from Alex Hale and Konstantina Kanari about how the NCC can support businesses in the space sector as well as connecting up international stakeholders with our regional community.  A great note to finish the year- thanks to all those that joined us! 

Matching Students and Industry

In the final or penultimate year of their degree, students have to complete a lengthy individual project, and space-related topics are rarely available.

Space Projects UK provide the framework for students to do their project remotely with a space organisation, and advertise projects proposed by space organisations to students nationwide on a rolling basis.

The space sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK. Employers, however, often highlight a lack of skilled graduates, and students, a lack of opportunities to get experience.

This scheme has been created to give students this crucial experience, and has been designed upon feedback from several academics, space industry professionals, and students.

At Nicofe Materials Ltd, we specialize in materials that make missions possible. With expertise in controlled thermal expansion, soft magnetic, and refractory alloys, we provide precision-engineered solutions for the space sector and beyond.

Our focus is simple: stick to what we know and excel at it. This commitment enables us to deliver materials that meet the exacting standards required for applications in aerospace, satellite technology, and high-end electronics. Whether it’s Kovar, Invar, Hiperco, or MuMetal, our alloys are tailored to tackle the extreme demands of space exploration and performance.

One of our key contributions to the space sector is the manufacture of Torquer rods for satellites—essential components for attitude control in orbit. By leveraging our advanced metrology equipment and machining expertise, we ensure the highest levels of precision and reliability.

What sets Nicofe apart is our “more than just metal” philosophy. We don’t just supply materials; we provide comprehensive support, from material analysis and bespoke machining to specialist packaging for safe delivery anywhere in the world. We work closely with clients to solve challenges, whether it’s developing a lightweight, corrosion-resistant material for extreme environments or ensuring a perfect thermal expansion match for critical components.

As a trusted partner to companies like Airbus, Raytheon UK, and Leonardo, our mission is to empower innovation in space and other high-tech industries. We are proud to have recently passed our AS surveillance audit with flying colours, achieving no non-conformities, further demonstrating our commitment to quality. With AS9120B and ISO 9001:2015 certifications, as well as UK Cyber Essentials accreditation, quality and security are at the heart of what we do.

Nicofe Materials Ltd is proud to support the UK’s thriving space sector and looks forward to collaborating on the next generation of space technology.

the Farnborough International Space Show 2025 takes place on 19^th/20^th March next year farnboroughspaceshow.com) .It will be co-located with the 40^th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of the Environment at The Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre.

We have worked with the Farnborough International team to create a Space West stand space. There is an opportunity for you to join as an exhibiting partner on the stand. You would enjoy the following;

• Space on the stand alongside other Space West members
• A dedicated poseur (tall) table and 2 poseur chairs to conduct meetings, and the opportunity to brand your space with a ‘pop up’ or similar
• An elevated board – above your table with your company name
• An individual stand number
• Inclusion in exhibitor listing on the event website
• The opportunity to create an exhibitor profile with you listing
• The support of the Space West community
• Exhibitor PR and social media opportunities provided by Farnborough International
• The same benefits as all other exhibitors at the event

The cost of participation is just £1,000 +VAT and would be inclusive of exhibitor passes. You would only need to arrive on the first morning of the event – with your stand space ready for you.

If you would like to take a spot on the Space West stand, please let me know and I will connect you with the right person at Farnborough International. We will be working on a ‘first come first served basis’

The event connects the global space community across industry, defence, government, and academia. As you would expect from Farnborough International, the event will be international in focus and feature top quality content from high profile speakers from all parts of the world. Content will be focused on both commercial and defence space utilisation. They will convene a global audience of senior buyers from across the space industry, including space agencies, commercial space businesses, downstream data users, military and defence organisation, government departments and agencies, research and development facilities, academic institutions, entrepreneurs and investors. The event will embrace the upstream, midstream and downstream elements of the space ecosystem.

As mentioned earlier, the International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment will be co-locating with The Farnborough International Space Show 2025 . Below is a link to the website but essentially the symposium will host up to 1,000 delegates in the conference space in the exhibition centre for the whole of the week commencing 17^th March 2025 – with Farnborough International Space Show taking place on 19^th/20^th March during that week. 40th International Symposium on Remote Sensing if Environment (ISRSE) | Farnborough International

Stay connected and witness our exciting endeavors throughout the year. Explore upcoming events, collaborative initiatives, and engaging projects.