Space Technology
(asked on 10th October 2025) - View Source
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help support UK-based businesses that work on orbit (a) servicing and (b) assembly.
Answered by
Kanishka Narayan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) has been identified as one of five National Space Capabilities, reflecting its strategic importance for economic growth, national security, and space sustainability.
To date, the Government has supported the ISAM sector through national and European Space Agency programmes, such as the National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP), where £5.5m in funding is developing new technologies including capture mechanisms for unprepared satellites, long-range RADAR, and in-orbit refuelling interfaces.
Work is underway to develop a cross-government delivery plan that will support UK-based businesses and provide longer term certainty. Further details will be published in 2026.