2023 set to be a big year for UK space developments

The modified Boeing plane, named Cosmic Girl 747, will take off from Spaceport Cornwall. At around 35,000 feet, the Virgin Orbit rocket will be deployed over the Atlantic, carrying nine small satellites into orbit in what is known as a horizontal launch. 

Much hope is riding on the successful launch of this rocket as this is the beginning of the UK’s future space strategy. It will be the first time the UK has been able to design, develop and satellites on its home soil. If this mission succeeds, it will be a major milestone for the UK space industry opening the doors for future endeavours.

Paul Kostek, Commercial space expert and IEEE senior member, advisory systems engineer with Base2 solutions commented: “Space is about to get even busier, and this launch will kickstart the UK’s space strategy for 2023. If successful, this will provide a local option for the launching of satellites for European companies, requiring systems to no longer to be shipped to the USA or French Guiana for launch. Another result will be less time waiting in a launch queue and costs should drop with an additional facility in play. If all goes well, we can expect to see additional spaceports opening. 

“2023 should be a landmark year for space both commercially and for countries as costs drop, and technical knowledge expands. The successful launch of the USA SLS/Artemis brings the return of man to the Moon even closer. China is set to complete work on its space station while the USA and partners continue to define the replacement for the International Space Station. Also, satellite constellations will continue to grow larger with new players emerging from around the world.

“There are challenges that will need to be considered. Including managing the increasing volume of small satellites as they reach the end of their life span, organisations will need to consider how they can mitigate their re-entry and destruction in earth’s atmosphere. Several companies are exploring the creation of vehicles that can refuel and move satellites extending their lives. Moving forwards, there needs to be a more comprehensive Space Traffic Management (STM) to prevent collisions resulting in the loss of an asset and the generation of new debris. Discussions are needed on how to manage the ever-growing amount of space debris by finding ways to capture and destroy debris; this will become essential as the number of users grows.”