Space-technology opportunities are to be opened up to emerging nations in a project between the UK and Mexico. Led by the University of Strathclyde (www.strath.ac.uk), the project will offer researchers, entrepreneurs and established space companies the prospect of securing space business without the extensive investment involved in a traditional space
mission.

This will be achieved by building on the experiences of the development of Ukube-1 — the UK’s first national CubeSat, a miniature satellite launched in 2013 and developed by Clyde Space Ltd with support from the university.

The Nano-bed-MX project will be carried out in partnership with Clyde Space Ltd, the Satellite Applications Catapult and MXSpace and its affiliated companies, along with Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua in Mexico. The UK element of the project has now received a grant from the UK Space Agency, through the International Partnerships Space Programme.

Malcolm Macdonald, director of the Strathclyde-based Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications, said: “Space technology is a sector offering vast commercial opportunities, but it typically requires vast expenditure. As such, it has largely been dominated by nations that are prosperous or populous.

"This programme is designed to unlock new applications, present opportunities for wider international collaboration, remove barriers to accessing technology and knowledge and engage with a new generation of engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs.”