Delivering our remit: funding
The UK Space Agency funds space science and exploration projects in line with the UK Civil Space Strategy.
Funding for space science and exploration enables academia and industry to develop novel technologies and participate in world-class space missions. Information on advisory bodies and more details on the peer-review process may be found in Mechanisms and Statement of Interest Guidance.
The funding process starts with the submission of a Statement of Interest (SOI) to the UK Space Agency. In order for a new, major project to be considered for funding, an SOI describing the proposed project and detailing the full economic cost of the proposed programme must be submitted for evaluation. SOIs assist the Agency in planning its investment in the ESA Space Science and Exploration Programmes, although opportunities may arise from time to time for UK participation in bi-lateral programmes. A call for SOIs will normally follow the selection of mission concepts by ESA at the start of the assessment phases. The UK Space Agency will consider SOIs for the development of science and/or technology payloads on ESA missions, data analysis and scientific processing systems for ESA missions and the in-orbit operations (Post Launch Support) of instruments it has provided. The submission guidance [link] provides further information regarding the approval process. Funding awards are provided by the UK Space Agency via grants and contracts.
The exploration programme provides funding opportunities, including studentship and fellowships, that fall within the Aurora programme in the fields of lunar and Martian planetary science, astrobiology, space instrumentation and the development of new technologies.
For information on how the UK Space Agency is funded please see Corporate Funding.
The UK Civil Space Strategy can be found in Publications.
