Latest news with #PaulBate
Metro
6 days ago
- Business
- Metro
Global space race hots up with UK's 'first rocket launch' and moon reactor plans
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video It's all kicking off in the world (or well, no world) of space today, with both the UK and US making massive steps in the space race. In the UK, a Scottish company has received the cosmic equivalent of a space driving license. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has given the green light for Skyrora to launch a rocket from a remote Scottish island. If the launch is successful, Skyrora would become the first British company to manufacture and launch a rocket into space from the UK. SaxaVord, a former radar station on Unst in the Shetland Islands, is the country's only space port – the world of tomorrow is today, folks. It would also be the first rocket launch on British soil in 50 years, when Black Arrow, launched from Woomera in 1971, placed a satellite into orbit. Skylark XL can reach an altitude of 500km, piercing a layer of warm air called the thermosphere, where many satellites and spacecraft orbit. It lacks the capabilities to reach low-Earth orbit, however, the goal of most micro launch companies. The rocket is made from 3D-printed parts and is capable of reaching 3.5 times the speed of sound. Skylark XL could be used to conduct cheap microgravity experiments. The Skylark XL product page says the craft is designed to place payloads into polar orbit up to 1,000km in the atmosphere. Scots could be craning their necks up high to see a 12-metre-long suborbital rocket, a Skylark L, tearing through the clouds next year. The end goal is to launch the bulkier Skyrora XL model. The licence, which was granted last month, says Skyrora can launch a rocket into the heavens up to 16 times a year by 2030. Rob Bishton, CEO of CAA, told Metro: 'Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora, its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation. 'Our work as the UK's space regulator is enabling the burgeoning launch industry to safely grow, bringing new jobs and investment with it.' Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, welcomed the news. He told Metro: 'This demonstrates the growing strength of our domestic launch capabilities, and the thriving commercial space economy we are building across the country. 'With companies like Skyrora, we're positioning Britain as the natural choice for customers seeking reliable, cost-effective access to space from European soil.' Alan Thompson, head of government affairs at Skyrora, told Metro that the launchpad won't be used commercially but will test different space tech. 'As for future launches, two of the three stages of the XL vehicle are complete, and we expect to deliver the first stage soon,' he added. 'We plan to complete integration tests of the XL vehicle next year, dependent on manufacturing timelines, and target a launch in 2027.' As the UK reaches for the stars, the US is thinking bigger – both the US and China are working to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon. The US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is set to announce fast-tracked plans to achieve this, fearing that if China does so first, they could 'potentially declare a keep-out zone'. The mini reactor will generate 100 kilowatts of electrical power – enough to keep the lights on for about 80 households – and will be ready to launch by 2029, Duffy wrote in a directive according to Politico. More Trending He added: 'To properly advance this critical technology to be able to support a future lunar economy, high power energy generation on Mars, and to strengthen our national security in space, it is imperative the agency move quickly.' Nuclear power is the only reliable option for astronauts living on the Moon, where a day is about a month, half spent in scorching sun and the other in frigid darkness. The Moon's South Pole is likely where a nuclear reactor could be set up, where it's sunny 80% more of the time and frozen water hides in craters. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Earth is spinning so fast that today will be shorter – but is time going faster? MORE: Storm Floris causes flight disruption as Jet2 and Easyjet issue updates MORE: Rail passengers warned not to travel north of Newcastle when Storm Floris hits
Telegraph
29-04-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
Earth's forests to be weighed using ‘space umbrella'
Earth's forests will be weighed for the first time using a giant 'space umbrella' that can peer through tree canopies from orbit. On Tuesday morning, the British-built Biomass satellite launched from the European spaceport in French Guiana for a five-year mission to find out how much carbon the planet's trees hold. Although it is known that trees suck up carbon, holding it in their wood, nobody knows how much storage space exists across Earth. Most of the world's trees grow in remote rainforests that are difficult to access, and illegal loggers are known to strip below the canopies to avoid deforestation being picked up on aircraft fly-bys. Space radars can see the tops of forests but do not penetrate further down and they can be blinded by cloud cover. The Biomass satellite will orbit 413 miles above Earth's surface and use special radar to take layered scans of the trees to build up a complete picture of their height and mass. Dr Paul Bate, the head of the UK Space Agency, said: 'It's nearly 20 years since this idea was conceived so to see Biomass launched successfully is a really important milestone. You would think down here on Earth we should be able to access the forests, but we're never going to be able to have people physically counting every tree, so this is a big step forward. 'Climate modelling has many variables, and the total biomass of the planet is one of the least understood ones, so the more accurate they are, the better the models. 'Biomass will be able to look down, right through the canopy and measure the height and density and different layers of forests. It's groundbreaking science and we will learn things we didn't know.' The world's rainforests are made of more than one and half trillion trees and are often referred to as the 'lungs of the earth', storing billions of tonnes of carbon. But, until now, measuring exactly how much carbon they store has been virtually impossible. The satellite, commissioned by the European Space Agency, was developed by Prof Shaun Quegan, a University of Sheffield academic, and built at Airbus in Stevenage. It carries a P-band radar with a long wavelength of about 70 cm, allowing the signal to penetrate through the forest canopy recording trees like a CT scan to build up a picture of how much wood is present. It can also see through clouds. Prof Quegan said: 'It will revolutionise our understanding of the volume of carbon held in the most impenetrable tropical rainforests on the planet and, crucially, how this is changing over time.' The satellite is now safely in orbit, but is in its folded up state, and will begin to open on May 2, being fully operational by mid June when it will start delivering scientific data. Scientists are expecting a 3D map of tropical forests after 17 months, then new maps every nine months for the rest of the five-year mission, showing how the forests are changing. Observations will also lead to better insight into the rates of habitat loss. 'Satellite now safely in orbit' Alain Fauré, the head of space systems at Airbus Defence and Space, said: 'Biomass will give scientists and climatologists unprecedented data on the state of the world's forests, further enhancing the understanding of the climate cycle. 'The spacecraft is now safely in orbit and ready to deliver its precious data.' The Biomass mission will also map subsurface geology to search for new water sources in deserts, and monitor the structure of ice sheets. Sir Chris Bryant, the space minister, said: 'The Biomass mission showcases British ingenuity at its very best, from conception in Sheffield to construction in Stevenage. 'Britain is not only stepping to the forefront of the space industry, but of global climate action too.'
The Independent
26-02-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Scottish labs receive £10m for space mission to study cosmic ripples
Scottish research laboratories are set to benefit from £10 million in funding for a European mission to deploy spacecraft which will measure ripples in the fabric of spacetime. The European Space Agency (ESA) project involves deploying three spacecraft which will orbit the sun more than 60 million kilometres from Earth, forming a triangle with sides 2.5 million kilometres long. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (Lisa) project will use lasers, routed through optical benches made at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh site, to measure gravitational waves. These waves are tiny distortions in spacetime caused by cosmic events such as the merging of black holes or supernovae. It is hoped the mission, which is not expected to launch until after 2035 and will cost more than £1 billion, will provide scientists with a better understanding of some of physics' greatest mysteries. The £10 million funding will go towards creating new lab spaces at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC), which will double its construction capabilities. Due to the vast distances involved in the study, the benches must be built to an exacting degree of precision. Production of the benches has already begun, using a technique known as robotically-assisted bonding which places components with the accuracy of a micron – one millionth of a millimetre. Ten optical benches will be required including prototypes and spares, a meticulous process which will take around eight years. Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: 'With major contributions to the James Webb Space Telescope and this new investment in Lisa, Scotland is at the heart of two of humanity's most important and innovative space science missions. 'The scale of the engineering challenge associated with Lisa is staggering – it is a flagship mission for Europe and it will be made possible by expertise in Edinburgh and Glasgow. 'This is a great example of how our leading role in ESA is delivering jobs and discovery for UK science.' Ewan Fitzsimons, UK principal investigator for Lisa at UK ATC, said: 'This investment in labs and staff will enable us to meet the exacting standards required for this groundbreaking project. 'It not only enhances our technical capabilities but also underscores the critical role of precision engineering in complex space missions such as Lisa.'
