UK Space Sector Gets Ready For World Space Week (4-10 October 2018)
World Space Week (4 – 10 October) is an international event hosted by the United Nations with the theme: Space unites the world.
Throughout the week, the UK Space Agency will showcase how British space expertise can unite the world through international collaboration, whilst revealing new opportunities for graduates to join one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy.
Thursday 4
Three new reports published today (4 October) by the UK Space Agency outline how the industry can help to save lives and livelihoods from natural disasters, address major challenges confronting the agriculture sector, and deliver better management of forests to improve production and protect nature on a global scale.
Ray Fielding, Head of the UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Programme, said:
With Britain’s world leadership in small satellite construction and Earth observation technologies, our space sector is well-positioned to support humanitarian assistance efforts abroad whilst growing science and jobs back home.
To find out more about how satellite technology can support the development sector, visit the Space for Development website.
Friday 5
New opportunities will be revealed for graduates on Friday (5 October) to engage in the thriving space sector through industry-based placements. The placements offer talented and enthusiastic people an opportunity to engage in a growing global sector, providing practical experience to gain news skills and insights.
Schools and other organisations will also benefit from a brand-new resource to support women engaging with the sector and STEM subjects more widely.
The National Space Centre in Leicester is hosting a Bepi Colombo day where guests can learn about the lobster-like instruments developed for the upcoming mission, as well as listen to guest talks from Professor Emma Bunce, a key Leicester scientist involved in the mission.
BepiColombo, due to launch later this month, is a joint mission to explore Mercury by the European and Japanese space agencies.
Saturday 6
The Science Museum opens its ground-breaking exhibition the Sun: living with our star. Featuring breath-taking visuals and interactive experiences, visitors can bask in sunlight, virtually try on a range of historic sunglasses in a digital mirror and see the Sun rise in different seasons and locations around the world on a huge illuminated wall display.
Monday 8
A brand-new resource will be released for schools and institutes to support women engaging with the sector and STEM subjects more widely. The Agency, in collaboration with WISE, has produced a resource pack for schools to boost the recruitment of girls into STEM subjects post-16, particularly those that girls typically do not choose, such as physics and engineering.
Wednesday 10
World Space Week will finalise showcasing international space collaboration. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to learn more about how the UK works with international partners on projects and missions.
Some examples will include:
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- In August the British built European Space Agency’s Aeolus spacecraft was launched which will help to deliver improved weather forecasting
- On Wednesday (3 October) UK and Australian Space Agencies signed an agreement to co-operate on activities including communications technologies, space situational awareness and satellite navigation applications
- The Disaster Charter brings together 125 countries offering invaluable aid to end-users. It was recently activated in Indonesia to help emergency services reach those affected by the hurricane and tsunami affecting thousands
- The UK is building a rover for the European Space Agency’s ExoMars mission to explore Mars
Duncan is a technology professional with over 20 years experience of working in various IT roles. He has a interest in cyber security, and has a wide range of other skills in radio, electronics and telecommunications.