Northern Ireland’s Space Industry: A Brief Overview
By Lorcan Grimes
On the 3rd of October 2024, the UK launch of World Space Week, with its theme of “Space and Climate Change”, took place in Stormont. Yes. Stormont. This is a result of Northern Ireland’s position as an up-and-coming player in the space industry, and the hard work of Queen’s University Belfast, NI Space, and the innovative businesses that have placed it there. In its own words, “NI Space is a regional space cluster that has been established to promote and support regional capabilities in both the national and international space sector.” [1] NI Space has been a driving force for the advancement of the space industry in NI, both in industry, and academia. This article aims to give a brief overview of both.
Exciting things are happening and forming at Queen’s University Belfast, in particular Queen’s Propulsion Laboratory (QPL), a new Space Enterprise Lab (SEL), and some fresh module changes.
QPL are Northern Ireland’s largest student rocketry team, and of the UK’s fastest growing. QPL were founded in 2023 by a group of students who shared a passion for engineering, rocketry and space. In their first year alone, the team grew to over thirty members and competed in the UK’s most prestigious student rocketry and engineering competitions. The team successfully hot-fired their in-house designed hybrid rocket engine at the Race2Space competition, they designed, built and flew a combined rocket and CanSat at the Mach-24 competition, and also won the UKSEDS Olympus Rover Trials for their Mars rover design. QPL were also the first and only Northern Irish team at each of these competitions [2].
The new Space Enterprise Lab (SEL) is being launched at Queen’s University Belfast’s Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC). This new SEL “will provide a dedicated facility for space innovation – enabling collaborations between local industries and helping increase space-based economic activity in Northern Ireland and beyond” [3].
Additionally, Aerospace Engineering students at Queen’s have noticed modules shifting to include a stronger focus on space. This shift reflects the increased interest in space amongst the student body, as evident by the growth of QPL. This is an important shift for Queen’s to make, as this will help provide the highly skilled labour needed for NI’s growing space industry.
NI’s growing space industry includes exciting companies such Resonate Testing and Springco, as well as lucrative government funding for new small businesses seeking to break into the industry.
Resonate Testing Limited are a family owned and operated test facility located in Newry. They provide bespoke fire, mechanical, and environmental test solutions to a range of clients, and have recently started making strides in the space industry. Some of their recent projects include product validation for Ariane 6 and Vega-C, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) new key launch vehicles. Resonate Testing have also completed shock testing on ESA’s Lunar Pathfinder satellite, this satellite will provide communication services around the moon [4].
Springco are a spring manufacturing company, established in Northern Ireland in 1954. They have not, however, remained there. You can find Springco products all around the world, now reaching five continents. You can also find Springco products all around the solar system, on numerous satellites, the JUICE mission to Jupiter, and even exploring Mars’s surface on the JPL Curiosity Rover [5].
Businesses such as Resonate Testing and Springco are inspiring examples of the potential the NI space industry has. One of the best ways that this potential can be realised, is through continued government funding. A current example of this funding in action is the new £360,000 Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) funded by the UK Space Agency, in collaboration with NI Space and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). This competition is seeking out potential satellite applications and remote sensing solutions to predict, detect and monitor the extent and movement of the Blue Green Algae in Lough Neagh [6]. This programme can provide both crucial funding to smaller companies and provide vital data to ensure the health and safety of Northern Ireland’s ecosystem. This shows how government funding can provide mutually beneficial programmes, that can accelerate the development of small businesses whilst helping to fulfil governmental policy aims. The Lough Neagh monitoring SBRI also demonstrates just how apt this year’s space week theme of “Space and Climate Change” is.
Earlier this year Northern Ireland gained a small step and giant leap with Rosemary Coogan gaining her astronaut wings after graduating from ESA’s basic astronaut training. The Northern Irish born astronaut, who holds two master’s degrees and a doctorate in astrophysics and astronomy respectively, is now eligible for spaceflight and may be seen in ESA missions in the very near future [7].
This past week has demonstrated Northern Ireland’s importance in the UK space industry, both now, and in the future. This rapid growth can, and will, only increase if funding is continuously pushed to the right places. The funding of small businesses and student teams such as QPL, is crucial to the development of this blossoming hub, and its future in the space industry.
Sources:
[1] NI Space. https://nispace.org/.
[2] QPL – Queen’s Propulsion Laboratory. https://qplrocketry.com/
[3] New Space Enterprise Lab opens at Queen’s AMIC Harbour. https://nispace.org/news/f/new-space-enterprise-lab-opens-at-queen%E2%80%99s-amic-harbour.
[4] Lunar Pathfinder. https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2021/09/Lunar_Pathfinder
[5] Space – Resonate Testing. (2023, April 10). https://www.resonatetesting.com/sectors/space/
[6] New Initiative to Predict Algal Blooms in Lough Neagh Launched. https://nispace.org/news/f/new-initiative-to-predict-algal-blooms-in-lough-neagh-launched.
[7] The Irish Times. (2024, April 23). https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2024/04/23/northern-ireland-born-astrophysicist-becomes-astronaut-after-space-training-graduation/
