Space companies and universities from across North East England are coming together this November to showcase the region’s growing expertise in the space industry at a major international event in Germany.
The event will provide an opportunity to highlight the North East’s innovative technologies, research and capabilities while building valuable connections with potential customers, industry partners and investors from around the world.
Space North East England (SNEE) will host a North East England Pavilion at Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen from 17 to 19 November, giving attendees the opportunity to meet trailblazing businesses and researchers and discover the exciting technologies being developed in the region.
The pavilion will feature businesses whose expertise spans satellite thermal control, optical communications, precision manufacturing, microfluidics and space safety, while a range of other North East space-related companies – Filtronic, Isocom, Viper RF and Spincraft – will be exhibiting on their own stands.
Lisa Mulllen, Interim Cluster Manager at Space North East England, said:
“North East England has a broad range of space capability, from the components inside satellite systems to the research and skills needed to develop what comes next. By coming together in Bremen, we can show international partners how these strengths connect.
“The aim is to turn that visibility into opportunities for our businesses and universities: conversations with new customers, research collaborations, supply chain partnerships and investment in the region.”
The companies in the pavilion include Boyd Thermal by Eaton which develops thermal management solutions that help spacecraft equipment operate at the right temperature.
The stand will also feature Hummingbird Optics, a joint Durham University and Northumbria University spin-out based at Aykley Heads, Durham, which is developing software, consultancy services and adaptive optics technology to help overcome atmospheric turbulence that can disrupt optical communications.
Newcastle-based NEL Technologies which manufactures thin, lightweight flexible heaters and precision components, including products used to manage temperatures in satellite systems and Gateshead’s Rapid Fluidics which designs and rapidly prototypes microfluidic devices, will also be present, bringing a specialist manufacturing capability to conversations with potential space industry partners.
Space surveillance, tracking and sustainability company, 3S Northumbria, will be using the event to show their work on making the orbital environment safer as satellite activity grows, while Laser Orbit, a new spin-out from Northumbria University, will highlight its work in developing laser communication terminals for small satellite networks, bringing university research and expertise in optical communications into the commercial space market.
The region’s top academic institutions will also have a presence in the pavilion, with Durham University Space Research Centre – which brings together expertise in space technology, operations, policy and sustainability -highlighting its world-leading expertise in ground-segment optical communications and wider space technologies.
Northumbria University’s flagship project – the £50m North East Space Skills and Technology Centre (NESST) – being developed in partnership with Lockheed Martin Space UK and the UK Space Agency, will show how it is bringing industry and academia together for space research, technology development and skills training.
Michelle Duggan, Head of Inward Investment at the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority said:
“The North East has the talent, innovation and industrial strengths to play a leading role in the UK’s growing space economy.
“By bringing our businesses, universities and partners together on an international stage, we’re not only showcasing what the region has to offer today, we’re creating opportunities for future investment, collaboration and growth.
“Space Tech Expo Europe is an important opportunity to tell the North East story to a global audience and demonstrate why businesses are choosing to invest, innovate and grow here.”
