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UK Space Agency

@ukspaceagency.bsky.social

We boost UK prosperity, understand the Universe, and protect our planet and outer space. gov.uk/ukspaceagency.

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UK Space Agency@ukspaceagency.bsky.social · 7mo ago

ESA Smile is fuelled for launch! 🛰️ ⛽ The UK-backed space weather mission will give scientists their first complete picture of how Earth responds to the solar wind - the streams of particles and bursts of radiation emitted by the Sun. ☀️

ESA Space Science@science.esa.int · 7mo ago

Fuelled for launch! ⛽ Specialists wearing ‘SCAPE’ suits filled Smile with fuel ahead of its launch on a Vega-C rocket on 9 April. Smile will use 90% of its fuel during the first month in space to gradually elongate its orbit until it ultimately reaches 121 000 km above the North Pole. 🔭 ☀️

Inside a large, clean laboratory with white walls, two people wearing full white protective suits are working on a spacecraft. The spacecraft is mounted on a metal support frame and wrapped in shiny gold thermal foil, with dark rectangular solar panels on its sides. Cables, tools, and test equipment are spread across the floor around them. The scene suggests careful technical work on a satellite in a controlled clean-room environment. The 'Inspector Smile' character is seen waving behind the spacecraft. A speech bubble reads 'Keep it coming! I work best on a full tank'.
UK Space Agency@ukspaceagency.bsky.social · 7mo ago

From the heart of Cornwall, @goonhilly.org is gearing up to support NASA's Artemis II mission, providing critical lunar communications tracking as astronauts venture back to the Moon. 📡🌒 It's a great example of the UK's contribution to global space exploration. 🚀 Read more 👇

Goonhilly@goonhilly.org · 7mo ago

🚨 We're getting ready to track NASA's Artemis II mission from our Cornwall HQ! 🚨 Learn more about this and how we're contributing to NASA’s long‑term Moon‑to‑Mars exploration strategy: www.goonhilly.org/Goonhilly-to...

UK Space Agency@ukspaceagency.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Six UK space tech startups have joined ESA BIC UK to turn bold ideas into real solutions - from tackling orbital debris to detecting wildfires. 🛰️ We're proud to support this programme and look forward to following their progress. 🚀 Read more 👉 ukri.org/news/uk-spac...

UK space tech startups target debris, wildfires and climate risk

From clearing space junk to detecting wildfires in seconds, UK startups are applying space technology to some of today’s most urgent challenges

ukri.org

UK Space Agency@ukspaceagency.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Smile has arrived in French Guiana where it will go through final preparations for launch between 8 April and 7 May. 🚀 UK researchers are leading a key instrument and co-leading the science on this landmark mission, which will transform our understanding of how Earth responds to the solar wind. 🌍

ESA Space Science@science.esa.int · 7mo ago

🚢 🚚 Following a two-week journey, Inspector Smile has arrived at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. Smile travelled with another friend onboard: the Vega-C upper stage, which will stay attached to Smile until the last moment before dropping it off in a very precise orbit around Earth. 🔭 🧪 🌞

A view from land of a ship coming through a narrow strait. The ship is large, mostly blue, and has the letters M and N on the side. The landscape looks tropical, with palm trees and blue skies, but also a little rugged, with grey rocks poking out from the ground and a hill in the distance, on the other side of the straight. A few people are standing on land in front of the ship, watching it arrive. A text insert on the upper left corner reads 'Two weeks later'. A comic book style speech bubble says 'Welcome to the tropics, Inspector!', while another responds with 'Whoop! Whoop!'.
UK Space Agency@ukspaceagency.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Extraordinary new image of comet 3I/ATLAS, captured by ESA's JUICE from 66 million km away - showing its glowing coma, sweeping tail, jets and filaments. ☄️ We invested £9m into JUICE's science instruments, with British universities and industry playing a central role. 👉 www.gov.uk/government/c...

ESA Space Science@science.esa.int · 7mo ago

Our first glimpse of comet 3I/ATLAS from Juice's science camera 😍☄️ The precious data from the mission's November observations of the interstellar comet arrived on Earth last week. Teams are now digging in to discover what they reveal. Stay tuned for updates! More 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed... 🔭 🧪

A white, glowing egg-shaped object lies in the centre of the black-and-white image, on a dark, starry background. Glowing streaks spread upwards from the object. In the top left, a yellow arrow marked ‘Sun’ points straight down, and a blue arrow marked ‘Velocity’ points towards the 7 o’clock direction. In the bottom left, an inset shows the same object on a lighter grey starry background, filled with ragged-edged, concentric egg shapes gradiented black-to-white.
ESA Space Science@science.esa.int · 7mo ago

📣 Call for journalists: attend the Smile launch media event at Europe’s Spaceport! Smile is a scientific collaboration between ESA and the Chinese Academy of Science. The mission will study how Earth responds to the solar wind. Registration details 👉 www.esa.int/Newsroom/Pre... 1/2 🔭 🧪 ☀️

A shiny, golden spacecraft at the centre of the frame stretches out its two solar panels towards the top and bottom. The panels are not quite fully stretched, with two slight bends in each. In the background, we see Earth, with the horizon curving from left to right across the top third of the frame.
Blue Skies Space@blueskiesspace.bsky.social · 8mo ago

We are thrilled to announce that Mauve has achieved ‘first light’, beginning a new era in astronomical data delivery from small, rapidly built space telescopes. 🛰️ Mauve was pointed at its first calibration target, eta UMa, a bright star in the constellation Ursa Major. 🌟

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UK Space Agency@ukspaceagency.bsky.social · 7mo ago

We are pleased to announce that Rebecca Evernden has been appointed as Director of the new UK Space Agency. Rebecca is passionate about maximising the UK’s space potential, having worked in space for ten years. Read more 👉 linkedin.com/feed/update/...

We are pleased to announce that Rebecca Evernden has been appointed as Director of the new UK Space Agency. Rebecca is passionate about maximising the UK’s space potential, having worked in space… | ...

We are pleased to announce that Rebecca Evernden has been appointed as Director of the new UK Space Agency. Rebecca is passionate about maximising the UK’s space potential, having worked in space for...

linkedin.com

UK Space Agency@ukspaceagency.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science! 👩🏾‍🔬👩🏻‍🔧👩🏼‍🚀 Following in the footsteps of the UK's first astronaut, Helen Sharman, are UK ESA astronaut Rosemary Coogan, Member of ESA's Astronaut Reserve @astromeganne.bsky.social. 👩‍🚀👩‍🚀👩‍🚀 Hear from Meganne on who inspired her. 👇

UK Space Agency@ukspaceagency.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Five years of ColKa! 🎉 On this day in 2021, the UK's first industrial contribution to the International Space Station was installed. 🛰️ Built by MDA Space UK and funded by us, ColKa transmits data faster, revolutionising how scientists in the UK and Europe access experiment results. 📡

ColKa (Columbus Ka-band antenna). Credit: ESA–M. Cowan. NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover installing the Columbus KA-band antenna (ColKa) outside ESA’s Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station. Credit: ESA/NASA
UK Space Agency@ukspaceagency.bsky.social · 8mo ago

We're at the 18th European Space Conference in Brussels, where space industry, academia and decision-makers from across Europe are meeting to discuss shared challenges and collaboration opportunities. 🚀

Sign for the 18th European Space Conference 2026.Audience at a conference viewing a large screen featuring a speaker.
UK Space Agency@ukspaceagency.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Launches from the UK booked. 🚀 Two more missions are set to lift off from SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland with RFA, testing new products and applications in orbit. 🛰️

ESA Space Transport@transport.esa.int · 9mo ago

🎫 Two new missions grabbed their tickets to fly on the RFA One rocket from Saxavord, UK: 1. Lurbat, a collection of demonstrator technologies, developed by Added Value Solutions, Spain/UK. 2. Two cubesats developed by Indra, Spain, holding five experiments.

Artist impression of RFA One rocket ascending above the clouds
UK Space Agency@ukspaceagency.bsky.social · 9mo ago

We're funding two four-month pilot projects to bring the benefits of space to agriculture. 🛰️🚜 The pilots will work directly with farmers, growers and technology suppliers to co-develop space-driven tools in cropping and land health. 📡🌾🌱 space.blog.gov.uk/2026/01/20/u...

Unlocking Space for Agriculture

The UK Space Agency is funding two four‑month pilot projects, using satellite data and digital tools to help farmers make more informed decisions, boost productivity and care for the environment.

space.blog.gov.uk