Satellite Applications

AuroraNewsletter

December 2015

ContentsWelcome 3

Farming by Satellites 3

Working with Polynesian Leaders on Anti-IUU Operations 4

£100,000 Funding for Climate Services Sandpit 4

Celebrating TechDemoSat-1’s First Anniversary 5

MK: Driving Sustainable Economic Impact through Satellite-Based Applications 6

STARHub 6

Focused Facility - the Operations Centre 7

Design Team Focus & Skills 8

Catapult Talent! 8

Celebrating Tim Peake’s Mission on the ISS 9

World Space Week 10

Longitude Explorer Prize Award 10

Expanding our Fellows Network 11

Changed Space: Improving Lives through Space and Satellite Technology 11

ubo – Build Your Own Satellite Kit 12

“Houston, we have an Opportunity…..” 12

Trusty, Not Rusty, Pipelines! 14

SpaceCom – USA 14

ITS World Congress – 5-9 October 2015, Bordeaux 15

A Year of Satuccino 15

Collaborate to Innovate Space Conference 2015 16

Cross-Catapult SME Event 16

Events Round-Up 16

Welcome – Stuart Martin

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Welcome to our bumper Christmas edition of Aurora. 2015 has been a very busy year for the Catapult: we’ve worked on a number of exciting new initiatives and projects; we’ve helped fledgling businesses secure funding and get their concepts to market; we’ve driven the UK elements of the ESNC and Copernicus Masters competitions; we’ve launched the StarHub website, celebrated the first anniversary of TechDemoSat-1 – and so much more. It really has been an eventful year. During February and March 2016, we shall be holding a series of Catapult Roadshows around the UK, to showcase the work we are doing to existing and new audiences, and highlight the opportunities to engage. Thank you all for your support and encouragement throughout the year, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. We look forward to working with you again in 2016.

The need for sustainable, efficient and cost-effective methods of farming has never been more pressing. As the global population continues to rise, the challenge of meeting global food demands in a sustainable manner is becoming increasingly important. At the same time, farmers are being put under increasing pressure by prevailing market conditions.

Agricultural science and technology, known as ‘agri-tech’, is an important facilitator towards a solution – and in particular the sphere enhanced by satellite-enabled services. For this reason, satellite-enabled agri-tech is one of the world’s fastest growing sectors and, along with satellites, has been strategically identified by the government as one of the Eight Great Technologies in which the UK is set to be a global leader.

However, the take-up of such technologies in agriculture has been slower than expected. And despite its importance, there has been limited study of its adoption and the constraints on its growth.

The Satellite Applications Catapult, in collaboration with leading European research firm London Economics, set out to fill this evidence gap by conducting a market study on the current nature and extent of satellite technology application usage in the UK’s agricultural sector, and the underlying drivers of demand and barriers to adoption.

This research report outlines the findings of an online survey of farmers, which shows (from a small sample of 50 respondents) that farmers are aware of satellite-enabled agri-tech and use a wide variety of its applications.

Users gain from reduced input costs, increased quantity and quality of output, and environmental benefits. However, cost, mobile signal reliability and equipment compatibility and standardisation are seen as problems and even as barriers to take-up, along with insufficient technical knowledge and unclear benefits of the technology. Almost all the users sampled would like to see better standardisation of equipment, software and data across vendors and systems.

Understanding the circumstances and factors that influence the adoption of satellite technology is crucial for developing targeted strategies to increase awareness of its benefits, overcome barriers to acceptance and drive take-up. The information in this report provides guidance to policy-makers in the design of engagement and support programmes, and to the satellite industry as it seeks out opportunities in the agricultural sector.

Although robust and user friendly, this research does have its limitations. However, the report provides a good starting point with UK-specific insights, and paves the way for further iterations of research into this growing market.

* This is a Pathfinder study funded under the National Space Technology Programme (NSTP). To read the report online click here.

Author: Vladimir Stoiljkovic

Using satellite technology to help prevail market conditions

Farming by Satellites

Satellites can help maximise yield

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Operation Kurukuru 2015 was the largest intelligence and analysis team ever to participate in a Pacific fisheries surveillance operation against IUU.

Greater incorporation of climate change motivated the Climate Services Sandpit.

Working with Polynesian Leaders on Anti-IUU Operations

Following Operation Kurukuru 2015, Project Eyes on the Seas is continuing to support the extensive monitoring, control and surveillance efforts of several PLG member countries. This support will include the use of sensors to identify ‘dark’ vessels, along with analysis of vessel behaviour and permits in order to inform the relevant authorities of suspicious or abnormal activity that may warrant further investigation.

Project Eyes on the Seas aims to deliver a secure and trusted analytical capability to provide actionable intelligence on fisheries and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) monitoring, marine reserves and ‘at-sea’ supply chains. This support is designed for governments and those interested in monitoring their supply chains who can use this information to best effect.

Author: Nick Wise

Project Eyes on the Seas – a joint collaboration between the Catapult and The Pew Charitable Trusts – has made a ground-breaking contribution to the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency’s (FFA) annual initiative to identify and respond to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Operation Kurukuru 2015 involved the largest intelligence and analysis team ever to participate in a Pacific fisheries surveillance operation against IUU. For the first time, it featured the use of satellite-based surveillance, thanks in part to the Catapult’s Ocean Sustainability Business Unit.

The Catapult delivered analysis of satellite observations that provided significant situational awareness over the waters of several countries that are members of the Polynesian Leaders Group (PLG), a subset of the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).

Operation Kurukuru 2015 was the first operation during which the Royal Australian Navy received, reviewed and processed satellite-based surveillance imagery to augment and confirm the data generated by the regional surveillance picture. The information provided by the Catapult served to improve the overall clarity of the regional surveillance picture, with data analysis of known contacts giving the Navy clues to illicit activity.

Navy border patrol boat

The Catapult, in partnership with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), hosted a 2 day ‘sandpit’ to develop climate services feasibility studies, with the most innovative being offered the chance to secure up to £20,000 in funding to carry out the study.

The motivation for the sandpit was the recent increased incorporation of climate change information into business decision-making and government policy and regulation, driving a requirement for new approaches and solutions.

The sandpit brought together over

£100,000 Funding for Climate Services Sandpit

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The Sandpit brought together over 40 people from a variety of businesses, industry and academia to meet with end-users of potential climate services.

The Catapult has supported the TDS-1 mission since before launch, which is a significant milestone for us.

40 people from a variety of businesses, industry sectors and academia to meet with end-users of potential climate services. The first day started with attendees hearing about challenge opportunities from end-users, before selecting the challenge they wanted to investigate further.

The sandpit was modelled around the human-centred design process, utilising the double diamond design strategy (see diagram) as a framework to ensure that solutions were born from an in-depth understanding of the challenge context, and therefore were more likely to create suitable and viable outputs to satisfy the requirements of end-users.

The lean start-up approach was also encouraged through the creation of tailor-made Business Model Canvasses. These were developed to ensure that the proposed solutions were built around sustainable and scalable business models with high potential for impact, and

therefore increased the team’s chances of securing funding for their feasibility study.

At the end of the event, which included everything from LEGO® modelling and Post-it® note brainstorming to expert interviews and a networking dinner, the teams pitched their ideas to a specially convened judging panel, where a total of over £100,000 in funding was awarded to several of the ideas.

Further funding opportunities were highlighted by industry special guests and through a Horizon 2020 opportunities presentation. Once the feasibility studies have been carried out, we hope to engage with these big ideas further. Feedback from the event was extremely positive and we are looking forward to making the next one even more productive.

For further information or if you have suggestions for future sandpit themes, please contact ke@sa.catapult.org.uk

Author: Nafeesa Dajda

The Catapult was delighted to celebrate a year of successfully running payload operations and data collection from TechDemoSat-1 (TDS-1), an innovative satellite launched by the UK in July 2014.

Based in our Mission Operations Centre in Harwell, the operations team has been responsible for payload planning, operations and long-term data archiving. This phase of work began on 22 October 2014, following TDS-1’s successful launch and the subsequent 3-month payload test phase. The satellite has been monitored and controlled from SSTL’s Spacecraft Operations Centre in Guildford.

We have supported the TDS-1 mission since before launch, which is a significant milestone for us. The innovative nature of TDS-1 and its objective to enable greater access for the next generation of Space hardware in orbit fit well with our strategy of breaking down barriers to Space.

TDS-1, which features a new generation of star trackers, gyros, magnetometers and torque rods, was developed at SSTL with support from the UK Space Agency and Innovate UK. It is intended to be the first of a series of UK technology satellites aiming to provide a rapid, affordable means of demonstrating, testing and proving the next generation of Space hardware in orbit.

The operations team is looking forward to continuing our work on TDS-1 through to its scheduled end of mission in January 2017.

Author: Dave Garton

TechDemoSat

TDS-1 Selfie

Celebrating TechDemoSat-1’s First Anniversary

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We have developed a series of satellite-based applications to aid the MK Council in delivering more effective and efficient services.

STARHub will help emerging nations benefit from the world-leading satellite applications and services.

Working in partnership with Milton Keynes (MK) Council and The Open University, we have successfully developed a series of satellite-based applications to aid the Council in delivering more effective and efficient services.

The geodata service platform within the MK Data Hub – which launched in October – is designed to engage business and encourage innovation of all scales, enabling users to publish, view and interact with geodata about Milton Keynes.

The Data Hub is part of a major collaborative initiative called MK:Smart that will drive sustainable economic impact locally. The Hub will host a large number of applications and data that should foster regional innovation to drive market growth through data reuse. Data and services derived from satellite imagery and aerial photography provide a macro level view of a region, influencing decisions on everything from planning and energy to ecosystem services and transport.

Among the innovative services developed so far, one provides a property-by-property analysis of the potential to install rooftop solar panels. Another is a ground source heat pump (GSHP) application which will provide an assessment at household level of the potential to install GSHP systems, which extract heat from the ground. Both include a cost-benefit analysis estimate for each installation.

The unique applications built in partnership with The Open University and some specialist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have the potential for significant impact in MK as part of its smart city programme. They are further evidence of the growing expertise of the Catapult and the UK satellite industry in application development, and clearly demonstrate the sustainability and commercial opportunities available.

Author: Alan Cox

MK: Driving Sustainable Economic Impact through Satellite-Based Applications

Milton Keynes Urban Planning Tool

STARHubThe Catapult is managing a major digital platform that will help emerging nations benefit from the world-leading satellite applications and services being developed in the UK.

Launched on 23 November, the STARHub programme will connect UK Space sector skills and technology with emerging economies to encourage international partnerships to develop new satellite-based services and infrastructure. In turn, it is anticipated that STARHub will enable the UK to export more of its satellite services overseas.STARHub website – launched November 2015

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STARHub includes a Research Library, Capabilities Map and Hub to encourage community and collaborative working.

The Operations Centre provides an end-to-end facility for cost-effective satellite flight operations, payload data processing and exploitation services.

project, an investment programme funded by the UK Space Agency as part of its International Partnership Space Programme (IPSP). The STARHub platform has been developed by Caribou Digital and the programme will be managed by the Catapult.

IPSP is a £32 million investment for projects that support UK companies to become trusted partners in high-tech exports that develop the use of satellite technology in emerging economies.

STARHub will actively reach out to the Space sector and emerging economies to build partnerships that generate growth. We encourage every UK Space company to log on, build their profile and start helping us promote their capabilities.

For further information, email the team at: starhub@sa.catapult.org.uk.

Author: Kirsten Robinson

To stimulate new opportunities for collaboration, STARHub has launched with an online platform – starhub.sa-catapult.co.uk – that offers three core services:

• TheResearchLibrarywillhostthelatest reports, best practice examples and success stories on the application of satellite technology.

• TheCapabilitiesMapwillenablethosewith needs in emerging economies to pinpoint the relevant satellite service provider and allow the UK Space sector to promote its expertise and find in-country programmes.

• Tomatchneedswithsolutions, the Hub encourages the community to post and respond to information on project opportunities and requests for support.

STARHub was created as part of the Inmarsat-led ‘Pushing Digital Frontiers’

Focused Facility – the Operations Centre

the management and exploitation of EO data for tackling climate change and for the rapidly emerging field of security applications (including defence, environmental and food security, and security of space-based services).

As an extension of this, the Catapult connects with other UK operational, data-processing and storage sites, using high-capacity fibre optic links, as we move towards the creation of a UK collaborative ground segment, led by the UK Space Agency.

Author: Lorraine Moody

The jewel in the crown of the Catapult’s unique set of facilities – which are designed to drive innovation and enterprise, and support the creation of new technologies and applications – is the Operations Centre. It is designed to provide an end-to-end facility for cost-effective satellite flight operations, payload data processing, and exploitation services.

The Centre, which accommodates up to 18 people, can be used as a platform for the pre-operational trial phase of services and applications developed by organisations of all size, through to being a fully operational mission control centre supporting the likes of the TechDemoSat (TDS) satellites, Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC), tackling illegal fishing (IUU), and European and UK bilateral missions.

Additionally, the Operations Centre can be used by anyone wanting to showcase their work, and is an ideal training and testing environment for software testing or user acceptance testing. It also integrates with the Catapult’s Missions Lab, enabling full-mission simulation of innovative platform and payload technologies. This presents a unique opportunity for demonstrating satellite applications and services.

Through the world-class facilities, the Catapult also provides the UK with its own ground control capability – a unique step in giving the UK a sovereign capability, especially in Earth observation (EO). This reinforces the UK's capabilities in

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The design team supports innovation by understanding the needs of users and translating these requirements into products and services.

Catapult staff have grown from 1 employee in January 2013 to 113 in December 2015.

The Catapult’s Design Team works within our Business Innovation Department to support innovation by understanding the needs of users and translating these requirements into products, services and their accompanying business cases. Our Design and Business Sprints and our workshops make use of skills such as visualisation and storytelling methodologies to turn ideas into new concepts and prototypes.

We make use of frameworks such as the double-diamond approach to design thinking (see diagram) and take a user-centred approach to technology and service development, identifying and understanding the needs of the end-user before starting work on any kind of solution. Our ultimate goal is to create sustainable businesses whose customers are willing to pay for solutions to genuine problems that satisfy genuine needs. International Partnership Space Programme (IPSP) projects in Brazil, Kenya and Chile saw these processes in action.

The Catapult's first employee joined the company in January 2013 and nearly 3 years later we now employ 113 people. As a team, we are focused on the growth of the UK Space sector, but just as importantly we also focus on the growth and development of our staff, providing opportunities for personal development and an enjoyable, hardworking and innovative environment in which to work.

Over the past few months, we have been pulling together some interesting staff statistics to gauge our market experience,

Design Team Focus & Skills

Catapult Talent!

We have the skills in-house to quickly prototype concepts, whether they be software, service or hardware. This enables users to inform the next iteration through their feedback, leading to more robust solutions.

Interested to learn more? Join us at our Design Team brown bag in January.

Author: Dan Watson

bilingual capabilities (because export is a key area of growth for us) and other interesting facts.

Fact 1 The average age of our employees is 38.7 years.

Fact 2 We speak over 20 different languages.

Fact 3 We have over 400 years of combined aerospace experience, with significant expertise in 12 other market sectors.

Fact 4 Only 30% of staff came to the Catapult from the Space sector.

Fact 5 We have a diverse range of nationalities, including Bulgarian, Greek, American, Italian, French and Slovenian.

Fact 6 As part of the spIN programme, we have directly provided 21 student placements.

If you are interested in joining the Catapult, then keep an eye on our vacancies page on our website www.sa.catapult.org.uk.

Author: Ellie Laycock

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Catapult staff speak over 20 different languages.

The Catapult wishes Tim Peake a successful mission to the ISS. The first British European Space Agency astronaut.

On 15 December at 11.03am, the UK stood together for an historic moment. Sitting in the capsule at the tip of a Soyuz rocket filled with over 14,000 pounds of liquid oxygen was the first official UK European Space Agency astronaut. On the start of his 6-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS), Tim Peake contended with the punishing vibrations and cramped conditions of being accelerated to 25 times the speed of sound to reach orbit, and his entire daily routine is now dictated by the microgravity environment. Even the simplest of tasks, such as making dinner, washing or exercising, are all made more complicated when the human body is without the usual force of gravity.

The main portion of Tim’s mission will be conducting experiments in microgravity; understanding, for example, how the circadian rhythm of the body behaves when the Sun rises and sets 19 times each day. Maintenance of the ISS is also critical, as if panels need to be replaced or the Space toilet breaks, the astronauts will have to fix it before continuing with the experiments.

The Catapult is supporting Tim’s mission, including the wide array of educational projects that he has volunteered to support. The Amateur Radio International

Celebrating Tim Peake’s Mission on the ISSSpace Station (ARISS) project has been designed for 10 schools around the UK to communicate directly with Tim via an amateur radio. The 10-minute interaction between the schools and Tim will include a video downlink via the Goonhilly radio station.

In his free time, Tim will also conduct scientific classroom demonstrations as part of the National Space Academy’s Astro Academy project. The videos of principles such as ‘the kinetic theory of gases’, which can be uniquely showcased in microgravity, will be provided for teachers to use in their classrooms.

The Catapult hosted a launch event on 15 December, inviting a local primary school to ‘train like an astronaut’ and to try typical astronaut food. To coincide with the docking, friends and family of Catapult staff were invited to celebrate the arrival of Tim at the ISS.

The dream to travel into Space is shared by many. With this mission it is hoped that the effect of a UK astronaut spending six months on the ISS will be to increase the desire of young people to learn about Space and, maybe someday, travel into Space themselves.

Author: Chris Duff

Tim Peake training at JSC

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WSW sets aside an entire week for the celebration of the benefits and excitement generated by Space exploration.

The ingenuity and breadth of ideas generated by the Longitude Explore Prize were incredible.

World Space Week Since 1999, the UK has joined the rest of the world in celebrating World Space Week (WSW). Held in October, the week commemorates two of the most significant dates in the history of human endeavours in Space: on 4 October 1957 the Soviet Union placed the first man-made object into orbit – Sputnik; and then 10 years later, on 10 October 1967 the Outer Space Treaty was signed, governing all activities and exploration of Space.

WSW sets aside an entire week for the celebration of the benefits and the excitement generated by Space exploration. Created by the United Nations, more than 1,400 events in 80 countries bring the inspiration and discovery of Space to audiences of all ages.

This year the Catapult took part in celebrating WSW by going into local primary and secondary schools to give talks and run activities. Five primary schools were invited to discover the link between satellites and shipping vessels, as well as trying to identify landmarks of Milton Keynes from an Earth observation image. Catapult staff also went into three secondary schools to enlighten students on the options available in the Space sector and the types of careers they can have.

A highlight of the week was an impromptu talk to over 400 members of the general public as part of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory’s Talking Science Lecture Series. Dan Wicks, an Earth Observation

Specialist, and Sam Adlen, Head of Business Innovation, gave an overview of how satellites work and the wealth of information you can see from satellites.

Catapult staff showed incredible support for this project and a willingness to give up their time to inspire the next generation of Space scientists, as well as showing students of all ages what types of paths they can have into the Space sector and why it is so important.

Not all schools could host events during Space Week, so staff did their best to accommodate them at other times. For example, Chris Duff, our National Schools Academy Project Manager, presented an assembly at Abingdon Preparatory School, where the students helped to build a scale model of the solar system using fruit, learned the explosive truth behind how rockets work, and helped to build a comet.

Author: Chris Duff

After a year of hard work and dedication, the Longitude Explorer Prize has been awarded. The competition, which was open to all students aged between 11 and 18, challenged them to come up with ideas that use navigation and observational satellite data for social good.

Longitude Explorer Prize AwardThe 12 finalists were invited to the Copper Box Arena at the Olympic stadium to present their final ideas to a panel of judges from the Catapult and Innovate UK. The ingenuity and breadth of ideas generated were incredible. They included Fast Aid, which is an app for ambulance drivers to provide real-time traffic and hospital data (such as facilities and number of beds). Another was Bee There – an app for monitoring the location and healthiness of bee colonies.

The winning entry was from Rendcomb College, whose app – Displaced – uses live data on homeless people and refugees collected from postings on social media accounts. With location data and notes provided by users, the app will

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Rebecca Charnock has recently joined the Catapult’s Knowledge Exchange Fellowship team.

The Royal College of Art students took part in a 4-day challenge to improve lives through Space and satellite technologies.

In October, we partnered with the Royal College of Art (RCA) on a 4-day workshop tasking postgraduate design students with the challenge of ‘improving lives through Space and satellite technologies’.

The workshop, part of our Knowledge Exchange programme, was the first such direct engagement with the RCA. Our Design and Applied Digital Intelligence teams, together with the UK Space Agency and Imperial College, provided inspirational presentations regarding opportunities for innovation in the Space sector.

The 25 postgraduate students included visual, product, information experience and innovation designers, along with architects. They worked in teams to uncover and discover potential concepts

Changed Space: Improving lives through Space and Satellite Technology

for using satellite technology to improve life on Earth and beyond. The students used LEGO® to model the ecosystem for each of the challenge areas: Persistence Surveillance (City Life Signs); Food Provenance (Farm to Fork); Mobility in Cities; and Moon Village (Business in Space).

Catapult staff shared technical knowledge during the workshop, mentored students and helped to evaluate the exciting outcomes of the intensive research. The Moon Village team scoped out a way of sustainably living on the moon, through the recycling of moon dust, while the Food Provenance team developed the concept of an app which informed consumers of the provenance of individual items of food, both processed and unprocessed. The Persistence Surveillance team developed a community support app which would enable people to offer help to those in need, for example for shopping, company or medical assistance.

The winning team worked on the Mobility in Cities challenge and created a guidance system for navigating cities which utilised heat signals to your fingertip as a subtle indicator of trajectory when exploring your surrounding area.

Author: Nafeesa Dajda

Expanding our Fellows NetworkRebecca Charnock has recently joined our Knowledge Exchange (KE) Fellowship team and will be working across the Welsh Region to identify needs and opportunities to stimulate growth in the downstream sector in Wales. Her role is part funded by the UK Space Agency, with an initial term of one year.

Rebecca joins our network of six KE Fellows who are based at a number of our university partner institutions, spending

part of their time at the Catapult and being a conduit between the two organisations.

Author: Nafeesa Dajda

Rebecca Charnock – Knowledge Exchange student.

allow charities to better coordinate the logistics of supporting vulnerable people around the world.

Rendcomb College pupil Emily Sharman said: “We’re really happy – and shocked… in a good way! We put a lot of effort into the project. It was definitely a great experience and helped us learn a lot of

new skills – product design, marketing and software development.”

The Catapult was pleased to support a competition which encouraged young people to think of ways in which the satellites which govern our daily lives can be used in a positive way for social good.

Author: Chris Duff

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We held our first workshop in Harwell for 30 members of the general public, giving them ‘hands-on’ experience with the latest technology.

We are finishing our final prototype and looking forward to launching the ‘ubo’ kits.

This year we have continued the development of our PocketQube pico-satellite following the success of last year’s workshop in Poland. We have increased our team by adding two new interns and developed two further prototype iterations of the hardware. We have also held our first workshop in Harwell for 30 members of the general public, giving them the opportunity to get ‘hands on’ with the latest hardware.

We learnt a lot from our trip in December last year to Warsaw where we held our first workshop for 30 Polish students, both in terms of how to run the workshops and the intricacies of the electronic and mechanical parts of our kits. As a result, the satellite structure has since been streamlined from 13 parts to just two, reducing complexity and weight. Similarly, there are now three electronics board instead of four, following the integration of the camera into the prototyping and sensors, and we have moved the microSD card reader directly to the on-board computer board. We also worked to reduce the cost of the components through careful selection and further optimisation of the designs.

Having refined the baseline kit, we then organised the first Harwell workshop. 30 participants spent a weekend with us at the Catapult, building, coding and flying their own satellites. The kits proved to be a huge success and a great step forward from our original prototypes. The weekend saw the construction of eight complete satellites, each with their own bespoke

ubo – Build Your Own Satellite Kit

“Houston, we have an Opportunity…..”

software written to collect and transmit environmental and image data. This was capped off with a low balloon flight on the campus site, demonstrating the potential to successfully build, fly and operate a satellite in just 2 days.

We are now finishing our final prototype and looking forward to launching the ‘ubo’ kits to the wider public as a home-PocketQube development system. The hardware has been revised to conform to the PQ60 standard, we have moved to a more stable and capable on-board computer microcontroller, and we have refined the power system to give users much finer control of the platform. Furthermore, we are developing a suite of support software, including an on-board software developer kit and ground station software. The latter will provide a comprehensive suite of tools to get the ubo PocketQubes up and running straight out of the box.

We will continue product and workshop development in 2016, and have big plans to get the ubo kit into the hands of as many people as possible. To support this, we have launched a website that covers all of the current information available for the kit: www.buildubo.co.uk. We will be publishing some big updates early in the New Year here, so make sure you visit the sign-up page to be the first to hear the latest news.

Author: Chris Brunskill

For the past two years, we have been working with local partners in the Houston area, exploring new market opportunities. Strong relationships have been developed with key players in the city region, including the British Consul-General’s Office in Houston (in particular the UK Science and Innovation Network

[SIN]), Rice Space Institute, Greater Houston Partnership and Houston Airport System. These relationships have enabled us to reach out to communities that would otherwise have been difficult to penetrate.

Our first formal activity started in June 2014 when, with the support of SIN and in

Developing the ubo kit

Flying the ubo kits at Harwell

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Space4Houston explored the best opportunities for UK Space services.

The marine/maritime workshop generated a significant amount of activity for the Catapult and UK businesses.

Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) funded project called Global AIS from Space Station (GLASS), which involves Automatic Identification System (AIS) detection from the International Space Station (ISS) and the engagement of a number of creators, users and evaluators of the data to drive new developments in the use of AIS data.

• Involvementintheearlystagesofafollow-on project from GLASS called Global Receive Antenna and Shared Portal (GRASP) and a bid to CASIS for funding relating to broader electronic intelligence fingerprinting from ISS. This has significant implications in, for example, monitoring vessels without AIS or with AIS switched off that are involved in illegal fishing and the movement of land-based assets. Three UK companies and one university have signed non-disclosure agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOUs), and will be providing some of the technology for this project, including: ETL, QinetiQ, Oxford Space Systems and Queen Mary University of London. Along with the UK Space Agency, we are looking to secure grant funding towards their technology inputs.

A series of introductions have been made for several UK companies in the Houston area and beyond through the above activities.

On 1 June 2015, we signed an MoU with the Houston Airport System (HAS) to investigate the possibility of jointly establishing a presence within the incubator facility being developed there. This option to create a more tangible Catapult presence in the US, specifically Houston, is currently being explored, along with the potential to set up a limited liability corporation that could make it easier for UK businesses to work with US government agencies.

Author: Cathy Johnson

partnership with the NASA Human Health and Performance Centre (NHHPC), we organised a two-day workshop focusing on Space life sciences and healthcare, and medical developments for long-duration human spaceflight with terrestrial applications. Although the event was somewhat peripheral to our core activity, it resulted in success for two UK universities and potentially one company, and is a nascent initiative for a broader Catapult presence in Houston.

Space4Houston, held in January 2015, represented the culmination of several months of work with SIN, exploring the best opportunities for UK Space services and gaining an understanding of the current take-up of services within multiple sectors in the region. The best opportunities were matched with Catapult and UK expertise, and resulted in two initial workshops:

• Marineenvironment,maritimeoperations and transmodal logistics

• Landuse,planningandemergencypreparedness.

The marine/maritime workshop generated a significant amount of activity for the Catapult and UK businesses, including:

• EngagementwiththeUSCoastGuard,Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and US Border Control in relation to an illegal fishing problem in the Gulf of Mexico – there have been a number of follow-up meetings and a meeting with Rear Admiral Callahan of the US Coast Guard, 8th District, will take place in January to discuss a pilot illegal fishing project in the Gulf of Mexico.

• EngagementwiththeGreaterHoustonPort Bureau and a private company in relation to port logistics, which should produce a transmodal logistics project and could also result in an inward investment opportunity for the UK.

• Involvementwithaconsortiumofcompanies and organisations in a

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Until recently, finding corrosion on pipelines was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

SpaceCom 2015 was a successful event which has reinforced our growing reputation and credibility in Houston.

Trusty, Not Rusty, Pipelines!A notable initiative from ESA’s Technology Transfer programme, which is run by the Catapult, has seen Dutch company Bioclear use its experience of working with the European Space Agency (ESA) to build a better, bacteria-based air filter for Space and apply it to creating a new way of keeping iron pipelines from corroding in the ground.

Until recently, finding corrosion on pipelines was like looking for a needle in a haystack. With thousands of kilometres of pipeline to check, companies had to send inspectors out on spot checks and hope for the best.

Now, thanks to this development by Bioclear, which works on soil pollution, pipeline owners can identify which stretches of soil are inhabited by corrosion-causing bacteria, and then target these weak spots.

This advance came about thanks to ESA’s efforts to make sure the air in Space

stations is safe to breathe, using a DNA-based technique to detect the growth of harmful bacteria in air filters. Bioclear now uses the same technology in multiple field applications on Earth, for example cleaning contaminated soil. Corrosion of metal is a chemical process but certain bacteria stimulate 40–50% of this corrosion. By analysing a sample of water or soil, Bioclear determines the risk posed to metals there.

For operators of large pipelines, the advantages are clear; they can rapidly focus on where there are real problems much more reliably and efficiently! For more information see: http://esa-tec.eu/success-stories/from-space/trusty-not-rusty-pipelines-owe-a-debt-to-space/

Author: Keith Mason

SpaceCom – USAIn November we participated in SpaceCom, a successful event which has reinforced our growing reputation and credibility in Houston. SpaceCom was the first of what is planned to be a new annual expo focused on the commercial development and business of Space, so it was very closely aligned with the Catapult’s objectives.

At SpaceCom, Stuart Martin delivered a keynote speech that stimulated a lot of conversation of the future direction of the sector. Other Catapult staff were also involved in various parts of the programme, including the Satellite Communications and Remote Sensing Round Table, which was led by Kieran Arnold, and a Blue Economy workshop, which was co-led by Nick Lambert.

The Catapult organised a very successful reception (hosted by the Consul-General Karen Bell) and dinner (hosted by Stuart Martin). Attendance levels were excellent from both existing stakeholder groups and new communities, including the oil and gas sector, which had previously been conspicuous by its absence in our endeavours in the energy capital of the world.

Author: Cathy Johnson

Steel pipelines

Catapult stand at SpaceCom 2015

Stuart Martin, CEO speaking at SpaceCom 2015

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ITS World Congress, attracted around 10,000 delegates from authorities, government, industry and development institutes worldwide.

What makes Satuccinos popular is the amount of information that is shared between attendees.

The Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) World Congress is the largest global, dedicated ITS conference, attracting around 10,000 delegates from authorities, government, industry, research and development institutes and academia. The theme for 2015 was ‘Towards Intelligent Mobility – Better Use of Space’, making this the first year the congress had a Space theme. As ITS is one of the Catapult’s main programmes, it was an event not to be missed.

As well as having a presence at the exhibition, and chairing speaker and technical sessions, we ran vehicular demonstrations with our joint funded commercial enterprise partner Vauxhall Millbrook.

These demonstrations showcased how we are continuing to work with the UK’s emergency services community to shape its vehicular communication architecture with the aim of offering

A Year of SatuccinoOur Satuccino networking event was launched in October 2014 as an opportunity to bring together the satellite and Space clusters over a good cup of coffee on a regular basis. During the first year since its inception, the event, held at our offices in Harwell, has become increasingly popular with our community, with over 60 attendees at the last Satuccino in December.

Attendees come from all communities and sizes of organisation, from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to large multi-nationals, from trade bodies to government departments, and from seats of education and research. The event gives everyone the opportunity to discuss the challenges they face and the initiatives they are undertaking, and to celebrate the achievements in an informal but focussed setting.

What makes the event popular is the amount of information that is shared between attendees. A series of 1-minute slots are given to companies to update the audience on what they are working on, and to industry and public sector bodies to announce initiatives, clarify understanding and promote activities and events.

Potential collaborators can then spot and take advantage of any opportunities that

ITS World Congress – 5-9 October 2015, Bordeaux

continuity of service for voice, video and data services over satellite and terrestrial communications technologies. This work is motivated by the need to support communication requirements (for voice and data), both now and in the future. We believe satellite communications has a key role to play as part of a robust and always available vehicular communication framework.

Author: Ashweeni Beeharee

may exist. We are particularly proud of the way in which people openly communicate with each other and we help this process by introducing fun and interactive elements, such as barbecues in summer, and by using group exercises involving elements as disparate as LEGO® and spaghetti!

Satuccino remains an informal networking event, but we are always keen to hear about the results of the interactions that occur during the meetings and the feedback we have received so far seems to suggest that many partnerships and collaborations are, and have been, discussed and agreed. We hope that as we head into 2016, the Satuccino community will continue to grow and be successful in helping create an environment in which people continue to work together.

Author: Henrieta Sanislova

Catapult stand at ITS World Congress

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The North East Centre of Excellence event bought together over 100 attendees from business and academia with a focus on opportunities on satellite applications in the Space sector.

Minister John Swinney, MSP, dropped into the cross-Catapult event in Glasgow to find out about the success and future plans of the Catapults.

Oxford Farming Conference 5-7 January 2016 Location: Examination Halls, High Street, Oxford

The Oxford Farming Conference is an annual event held each January in Oxford. The Catapult will be exhibiting and attending this event in support of

our agriculture strategy which aims to collaborate with stakeholders from across the agri-tech supply chain to maximise the potential growth for satellite applications in this area.

For more information on the conference please visit www.ofc.org.uk

Guests at the Cross Catapult SME event

The second annual conference for Space hosted by the North East Centre of Excellence was held on 26 November in Newcastle Upon Tyne. This specially designed event brought together over 100 attendees from business and academia, with the focus on opportunities in the Space and satellite applications and a range of speakers representing insurance, transport and maritime sectors.

The conference followed on from the recent success enjoyed by North East based Realsafe Technologies, which scooped the UK winner’s prize for the European Satellite Navigation Competition 2015, with the region also securing the UK runner-up prize through County Durham based FarmWatcherUK.

The recent cross-Catapult SME event, held on 26 October, was a huge success with 135 people from the Glasgow area coming together to see what the Catapult network can offer. There are currently 10 Catapults which aim to develop key industries by bridging the gap between the UK’s research sector and businesses.

One of the successful ways of engaging with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been through the series of cross-Catapult events. SMEs currently working with the Catapults are invited to attend to share their experiences and to see what other Catapult centres can offer.

Clyde Space, a supplier of small and micro spacecraft systems, was one of three SMEs showing how the Catapult network has helped it and can benefit others.

We were also introduced to Deputy First Minister John Swinney MSP, who dropped in to find out about the success and future

Collaborate to Innovate Space Conference 2015

Dan Wicks, the Catapult’s Earth Observation Specialist, who presented at the event, said: “The diverse range of capability in the North East region demonstrates its potential to lead in the development of innovative applications using satellite technology, which will have meaningful impact in a number of sectors.”

Author: Nafeesa Dajda

plans of the Catapults. We engaged with a wide range of new SMEs and are in the process of following up with them.

The next cross-Catapult SME event is scheduled for summer 2016. Further details will be available in early 2016.

Author: Izzy Taylor

Collaborate to Innovate Event – November 2015

Cross-Catapult SME Event

Events Round-Up

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Join us for a holistic security guidance workshop, with recommendations on practical and cost-effective security solutions to deploy in your business.

Join one of the Catapult Roadshow events taking place around the UK in Q1 2016.

Connected Farm Conference – The Wireless Dimension 29 March 2016 Location: Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire

This is the first of a series of 1-day events on the ‘connected’ concept, looking at the potential of wireless and satellite communications and radio frequency identification (RFID) for introducing integrated connectivity features into farming in a strategically directed, economically viable, process directed manner. It will demonstrate how connectivity can assist the development of farming platforms that also provide opportunities for innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurship.

This event is organised by the National Centre for Precision Farming and the Catapult.

To register, please visit: http://www.harper-adams.ac.uk/events

Farnborough International Airshow 2016 (FIA2016) 11-17 July 2016 Location: Farnborough

Early discussions are taking place about exhibiting in a UK Space Pavilion in the Space Zone. Similar to 2014, there will be an area where UK companies from the Space sector can exhibit together to demonstrate the UK’s Space capabilities, share costs and resources. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Jane Ford as soon as possible at jane.ford@ukspace.org

Further information on FIA2016 can be found at http://www.farnborough.com/trade/Content/Space-Zone or on the UKspace website.

Security and Defence Workshop21 January 12:30 – 16:30 Location: Catapult, Harwell, Oxford

The Catapult is hosting a Space Sector Security Awareness event to highlight and educate all attendees on the threats that may be targeting the Space sector. We will provide government and commercial organisations with a holistic security guidance on the recommended practical and cost-effective security solutions that can be deployed within a business environment. And in return advise what to recommend and expect from your supply chain.

To register for the event, please visit www.sa.catapult.org.uk/events

Earth Observation and Open Data Showcase2 February 2016 Location: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, 17 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3JR

The Secretary of State is actively encouraging a ‘data-driven Defra’, pursuing open data as a policy and encouraging the Earth observation (EO) community to exploit resources, such as Copernicus, to help deliver better outcomes for Defra and the rural community. The event is intended to bring together key players from government, academia and the private sector to stimulate discussion on how best to exploit EO in meeting Defra’s needs (policy, evidence, operational).

For further information please contact events@sa.catapult.org.uk

2016 Catapult RoadshowFebruary & March 2016 Locations: Throughout the UK

During February and March 2016, we will be hosting a series of Catapult events in nine location around the UK.

We will be delivering updates on our recent activities and initiatives, announcing the successful new Centres of Excellence, as well as providing industry experts to discuss initiatives and new opportunities.

Locations, dates and venues will be available shortly on our website and social media channels, so please keep an eye out and don’t forget to sign up for an event near you.

For more information please contact events@sa.catapult.org.uk

Catapult stand at FIA 2014

Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd is an independent technology and innovation company. It is one of a network of elite centres established by Innovate UK to accelerate the take-up of emerging technologies and drive economic growth. The Satellite Applications Catapult is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Company Registration Number 07964746. Registered office: Electron Building, Fermi Avenue, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QR, UK.

Electron BuildingFermi AvenueHarwell OxfordDidcotOxfordshireOX11 0QR

For more information:

T: +44 (0) 1235 567999W: sa.catapult.org.ukE: info@sa.catapult.org.uk @SatAppsCatapult

December 2015