UK launches three space-based industry challenges

The UK has launched three new space-based industry challenges under its ‘Space to Innovate: Delta Drop’ competition, to develop novel defence technologies that are unlikely to originate from the commercial space sector. 

The Space to Innovate competition – now in its fourth iteration – was launched on 2 July by UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) and is seeking “innovative or creative” technologies in the theoretical development or proof-of-concept stage.  

UKDI is partnering with the UK Space Agency and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory to organise the competition. 

While the amount of funding per challenge area may vary, the UK Space Agency says that “up to GBP985,000 of funding [is] available” in total throughout the process. 

By the end of the contract, the technologies should be developed to between technological readiness level (TRL) three and six. 

What are the space-based challenges?  

The first challenge seeks to “develop technologies and demonstrations of novel communications, processing, storage, and connectivity for the space domain for government applications.”  

Proposals in response to this could include new ways of distributing secure data from sensors, relays to expedite data flow, innovative ground-link infrastructure, novel data processing methods, or in-orbit processing and storage capabilities.  

Meanwhile, challenge two is focused on novel technologies that can aid the defence of satellites against weather, debris, or malign effects. In-orbit repair and diagnostics, self-healing structures, sensors to enable autonomous collision avoidance, radiation-resilient technologies, and new approaches to space “object characterisation” are examples of potential solutions sought in this challenge call. 

The third challenge is directly focused on resilience against EM threats, such as “dazzling, spoofing, jamming, eavesdropping, or denial of service.”  

Proposals for this challenge could include new approaches to waveforms and regenerative payloads, beamforming and nulling techniques, on-board decision-making, radio-frequency resilient antenna arrays, the ability to geolocate EM effectors, or on-board hardware or software to help mitigate threats. 

Application process 

Companies with relevant solutions should apply by 28 July. Applications should explain the nature of the proposed technology, its limitations, how it is new and innovative, and its projected start and end TRL.  

Following this, UKDI will select companies eligible to apply for the next stage of each challenge. 

The chosen companies will then be invited to apply for the second stage of their respective challenges from 4 August. At this point, they will be required to outline in detail what is required to develop their technology, including key milestones and deliverables, before the submission deadline on 1 September.  

Stage two submissions will then be reviewed ahead of feedback on 4 November, with eventual contracts expected to be awarded from mid-November onwards, for up to 18 months each.