The Catapult and Voyager – a space transport specialist – say they will explore a range of opportunities for space tech development. These include manufacturing and materials development in orbit, and advanced robotics. They will also be looking at the integration of AI and future space station services capabilities.
For context, the companies highlight that the global ISAM market is expected to be worth £10 billion by 2030. It’s previously been estimated the UK could capture an estimated 25% share. Specifically, this would be a £2.7 billion market share by 2031.
In-Orbit Servicing
“At Voyager, we believe in the importance of a sustained human presence in space, and in-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing is a critical enabler of this future,” said Voyager’s president of Space Solutions, Marshall Smith. “We’re pleased to team up with the Catapult to further explore these opportunities and continue to bring together the US and UK space industries.”
For its part, the Catapult’s CEO, John Abbott, highlighted the strategic importance of ISAM for the UK’s space sector. He commented:
“The UK is home to many companies and research institutions leading the way in ISAM technologies, and ISAM can be a major economic growth area for the UK if we capitalise on our strengths. We believe the MoU signed with Voyager today is a major step forward for the whole ISAM sector as we explore the opportunities to work closely together on innovative projects with the UK space industry.”
Voyager is based in Denver, Colorado.
Space Forge
In November last year, Cardiff-based Space Forge signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Voyager Space to support in-space research and manufacturing.
The company is looking to develop its ForgeStar returnable satellite platform that supports the use of micro-gravity experiments and manufacturing capabilities.
Image: Spire Global
See also: Satellite Applications Catapult reveals Space Living Lab winners
