ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dourdain and Science Minister Rt Hon. David Willetts attended the unveiling of SSTL's new £10M, 40,000sq. ft. Kepler Technical Facility on 25th January.

David Willetts said: “The continued success of SSTL is a clear sign that our space industry is thriving. This impressive, high-tech new facility is already manufacturing some of the most advanced satellites in the world, boosting growth and helping the UK stay ahead of the game in space technology.”

The building is co-located with SSTL’s headquarters building in Guildford, UK and will house around 40 permanent staff and up to 100 further project specific staff from across the company at peak test and integration periods. It provides two 125 cubic metre walk-in thermal chambers, a seismic test platform, 15,000kg & 3,200kg monorail cranes, 10,000kg & 8,000kg gantry cranes, and reinforced floors, allowing flexibility for integration and testing of both small and larger spacecraft.

• ESA Director General praises UK space innovation during SSTL’s Kepler Building unveiling -- UK Space Agency
• ESA DG and UK Science Minister open Kepler facility -- SSTL

(Source: Technology Strategy Board)

"Imperative Space is a new kind of space services company, tailored for the new space economy. We deploy world-class capabilities in creative services, marketing communications and education, to support growth in the space sector and communicate the value of space industries and space-related research to the wider public."

"Our mission is to enable wider participation in the benefits of space exploration and research, and to help accelerate access to new and lower cost space-related services."

• Imperative Space

(Source: Technology Strategy Board)

CubeSats offer huge potential to accelerate technology development of sensors and instruments in a miniaturised package for deployment in space. New technology concepts for space missions can be demonstrated on CubeSat payloads, delivering a test bed at low cost and significantly reduced timescales.

The UK Space Agency is currently funding a pilot programme, called Ukube1, to demonstrate the capabilities of a CubeSats with a launch towards the end of 2012. If successful, this pilot project could pave the way for a national programme starting in the third quarter of 2012, offering launch opportunities every 12-18 months. The aims of a national programme will also encompass the delivery of educational opportunities and science applications as well as testing new technologies.

Proposals are invited to develop CubeSat preparatory studies for future mission concepts e.g. UKube-2. The concept can address a scientific theme or be of an in-orbit technology demonstration nature (e.g. formation flying), providing a real impact to the UK. All UK based communities (academic, industrial and other) are invited to submit proposals. Applications can be made individually or in partnership with other organisations, however industry and academia will be funded under the rules stipulated in the scope of funding presented below.

Funding is available up to £35K per proposal; the size of award will depend on the requirements of the proposed project and the applicants’ case for support. Proposals should not exceed a grant value of £35K. Funding will be awarded in 2012 and the project cannot exceed 3 months duration. Due to the short nature of these studies and the amount of funding available, we intend funding successful applicants at the onset of the project. It is anticipated the scheme will fund a minimum of 7 proposals; the facility to fund more will depend on the size of awards and will be assessed on a competitive basis as detailed below. The deadline for submission of proposals is 01 February 2012, 12pm.

See TSB website for more information

Andy Green of the Bloodhound SSC studies the opposition, as international competition for the land speed record heats up to levels not seen since the 1960's:-

• Bloodhound Diary: Feel the Force -- BBC News
• The challengers -- Bloodhound SSC

"Between Thrust 2 and Thrust SSC, Britain has held the Record for over a quarter of a century and there’s nothing quite like the promise of losing it – or actually losing it – to keep us focused on getting the record back. Great Britain has held the World Land Speed Record for longer than every other country put together, since the first record was set in 1898, and we’re not going to let it go without a fight!"

Can we make it a one-way ticket? Please?

• Simon Cowell: I will blast Britain's Got Talent winner into space -- Daily Mirror

Simon, 52, even pledged to join them. “I would go on the spaceship myself. I love the idea that, if they are up for it, they have the option of performing in front of the whole planet in space.”

OK. DEFINITELY a one-way ticket, then.

Slides from a presentation given by Alan Bond at the 7th Rutherford Appleton Space Conference in December.

A summary of applicants for the Technology Strategy Board "Space for Growth" innovation competition. Successful applicants will be informed around 1st Feb.

Rocketeer comments: Very interesting to see a large number of Fast Track applications in the 'Access to Space' area. There's clearly a lot of (small-scale) industrial interest in the area... which makes the recent decision on the subject areas of the new Catapult Centre that much more disappointing. Tip, guys: you don't shoot at where the target is, you shoot at where it's going to be...