5 Things the UK is Doing in Space
- 20th Aug 2025
- Author: Dhara Patel
When you think of space science and exploration, you might not at first think of the UK.
But right now, our nation is playing a vital role in many parts of the space industry around the world. Although there's many more, in the blog below, I'd like to share five things you should know that the UK is involved in when it comes to space. And also highlight how these achievements are building the UK’s value as a significant player in the global space arena.
If you'd like to hear from a range of speakers and exhibitors highlighting the UK's successes and contributions to space in person, then join us at our UK in Space Festival on Sunday 14 September 2025!
Mars Mission — Rosalind Franklin Rover
The UK is a major contributor to ESA's planetary science missions which have included the Rosetta mission to Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko and also the current Juice mission on its way to Jupiter. At present, Europe is designing a Mars rover to search for past or present signs of life on Mars, and the UK is a part of this collaborative effort too.
Named the Rosalind Franklin rover, after the British scientist whose work helped with the discovery of the molecular structure of DNA, this mission is scheduled for launch in 2028 and should be roving around on the Martian surface by 2030.
Many UK universities and companies have been involved in the development of its instruments and the technologies on board. It’s PanCam (panoramic camera) instrument is being led by University College London’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory, and the University of Leicester is involved in the development of its Raman spectrometer instrument. The spectrometer will be used to analyse what chemicals are present in the Martian soil which could point towards signs of biological activity and life. Plus, the rover was built right here in the UK – at the Airbus Defence and Space Facility in Stevenage.
The data gathered from this mission will complement findings from other rovers like NASA’s Perseverance rover which is currently collecting samples on Mars for future return to Earth. And on that front, the Double Walled Isolator (a contained mini laboratory to avoid any contamination) at Space Park Leicester is being designed to store and handle samples returned from space, including those brought back from Mars in the coming years.
Join us at the UK in Space Festival 2025 to catch up with Airbus and hear from Leicester planetary scientist John Bridges about Exploring Mars.
Space for the Environment and Agriculture
Although a lot of space concerns looking out (astronomy) and going out (space exploration), there are many benefits that space provides when we use satellites in orbit around Earth and to look back at our planet. These include critical systems like energy grids, communication and national security, as well as environmental monitoring and agriculture. The UK is currently trying to grow and support the use of space data through business and policies. We all love snacking on crisps (even if we don't always agree on the flavour) and that means we need lots of potatoes. So food companies make use of satellite data to help support farming and ensure theirs a high yield.
Agriculture significantly impacts the environment – land degradation, water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss are occurring as we try to create food security for a growing population. We can use satellite data to monitor things like crop health, water levels, and soil properties all from space and these insights allow us to adapt our actions so we get lots of potatoes but also adopt more sustainable farming practices along the way!
Weather forecasts from satellites can help farmers prepare for potential floods or droughts, observations from space can inform water, soil and nutrient management so that crops aren’t overwatered and the use of fertilisers or pesticides are targeted to areas that need them rather than a blanket approach.
Hear from Megan Roberts from PepsiCo R&D at the UK in Space Festival 2025 to discover how space supports sustainable farming.
Space Sustainability & Debris Removal
In the almost 70 years since we launched the first satellite into space, the amount of space junk and debris in Earth orbit has grown to a worrying level. From defunct satellites to used rocket stages and fragments of spacecraft to flecks of paint, there are over 45,000 tracked pieces of debris larger than 10cm, and 140 million pieces between 1 millimetre to 1 centimetre in size!
In such a cluttered environment and with this debris traveling at great speed, it’s becoming even more important for us to clear up Earth orbit before collisions cause some serious damage and problems. The UK is leading worldwide efforts in space sustainability regulation and is supporting active debris removal missions with companies like Astroscale that are dedicated to making space a safer and more sustainable environment. The ELSA-M spacecraft (due to launch in 2026) is designed to safely and responsibly capture and retire many satellites in a single mission and is being built from Astroscale’s UK facility in Harwell.
Astroscale will be at our UK in Space Festival 2025 - come along to find out first-hand how the UK is involved in debris removal missions.
Launch Capability Development
Ariel 1, launching from US soil on a US rocket, became the first British satellite placed into orbit in 1962. Almost a decade later, the British-made Prospero satellite launched on a British rocket, the Black Arrow, from Woomera in Australia. But there's never been a similar launch from British soil. But the UK has been developing spaceports and before the end of 2025 we should see blast off from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland, with RFA One (a rocket from German company Rocket Factory Augsburg) having been approved for the first UK vertical launch.
In July 2025, a British rocket company called Skyrora was awarded a launch license for up to 16 launches a year from SaxaVord Spaceport so it may not be too long before we see for the first time, a British satellite, launched from UK soil, on a British rocket, into orbit! This launch capability enhances the UK’s position as space leader. With design and testing facilities already well established, spaceports now provide a direct end-to-end route from conception to the launch of a satellite, all from within the country.
Take part in the UK Spaceport Challenge activity at our UK in Space Festival 2025 to discover how the UK’s growing launch capabilities are now becoming a reality.
Human Spaceflight
When Helen Sharman made her flight to the Mir Space Station in 1991, she became the first British astronaut in space. And since then, British human space flight lay dormant until Tim Peake’s flight to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015, as an ESA astronaut. But in 2022, ESA announced a brand-new cohort of astronauts which includes three Brits!
Rosemary Coogan was selected as an ESA astronaut candidate. She's since completed her basic training and is awaiting assignment on a mission to the ISS. Meganne Christian was chosen as an ESA Reserve Astronaut and earlier this year began the first of three two-month training programmes for Astronaut Reserves. And John McFall was also selected as an ESA Astronaut Reserve whilst taking part in ESA’s feasibility study “Fly!” – designed to help us understand and overcome the barriers that astronauts with a physical disability face on a space flight.
Whilst all three are still awaiting their first mission, it may not be a long wait. The UK Space Agency signed an agreement with Axiom Space in 2023 to work on pursuing a commercially sponsored all-Brit mission to the ISS. In 2024, Tim Peake became a strategic advisor for the proposed mission and although a flight date and crew are all still to be decided, it would be shocking not to see these astronauts on board.
Hear from John McFall, the keynote speaker at our UK in Space Festival 2025 to learn about the progress being made in human space exploration plans.
From cutting-edge exploration missions, to world class space sustainability programmes, the UK space sector is pushing boundaries and looking ahead to the future. These aren't just some cool headlines but instead ambitious steps to provide a cleaner and safer orbital environment, beneficial applications for scientific endeavour and on Earth along with a variety of job opportunities.
These achievements are helping to build a secure foundation in a world that's evolving quickly with space technology, so that when we're made to think about space science and exploration - the UK isn't overlooked or an afterthought.
Full references / credits:
(Banner) Earth from space. Credit: NASA
(1) UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle next to a mockup of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover on display at Airbus's facility in Stevenage in the United Kingdom. Credit: DSIT
(2) Utilising space data for agriculture. Credit: rawpixel
(3) Astroscale debris removal mission. Credit: Astroscale
(4) SaxaVord spaceport. Credit: SaxaVord
(5) Left to right: Tim Peake, Meganne Christian, Rosemary Coogan and John McFall. Credit: UK Gov
