Space Hub Yorkshire recently attended the Farnborough International Airshow, one of the world’s leading aerospace, defence and space events. The show provided an important opportunity to strengthen relationships, explore new partnerships and showcase the growing capabilities of Yorkshire’s space sector.
A key objective was to engage with strategically important US states that play a major role in the global space economy. Meetings with representatives from Florida, Colorado and New Hampshire explored opportunities for collaboration between their established space ecosystems and the rapidly developing capabilities across Yorkshire and the wider North of England.
These discussions highlighted the increasing importance of international partnerships in driving innovation, investment and commercial growth. Each state brings unique strengths, including launch infrastructure, satellite technologies, advanced manufacturing and workforce development, creating opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration.
Alongside these international engagements, discussions were held with leading UK space organisations and major industry partners. Meetings with STFC and RAL Space focused on the infrastructure required to support long-term sector growth, particularly testing, validation and qualification capabilities.
Further discussions with Lockheed Martin and the North East Space Skills & Technology Centre (NESST) centred on support for a proposed Radio Frequency (RF) Testing and Validation Centre in the North of England. The facility would provide SMEs with access to specialist testing capabilities, enabling them to identify issues earlier, accelerate product development and deploy mission ready products in space quicker.
As demand for satellite communications, Earth observation and space-enabled services continues to grow, access to testing facilities is becoming increasingly important. Developing this capability in the North would strengthen the UK’s space infrastructure, attract investment, support innovation and create highly skilled jobs. It would also improve accessibility for businesses, encourage collaboration and increase resilience across the UK space supply chain.
The conversations at Farnborough reinforced the need for continued investment in both capability and capacity across the UK space sector. They also demonstrated strong support for a northern-based RF testing and validation facility.
Overall, the event highlighted the value of bringing together industry, academia and government to address shared challenges and unlock new opportunities. Through continued collaboration with international partners and industry leaders, Yorkshire and the wider North are well positioned to play a leading role in the future growth of the UK space economy.