Shipley innovator Slipstream takes off with £200k funding boost for space technology development

A Shipley technology business has become one of just five organisations in the UK, and the only one in Yorkshire, to receive a share of £1m funding through the Space to Innovate Campaign - Bravo Drop, to develop technologies that enhance the UK’s ability to safely operate in space.

Slipstream Engineering Design has been awarded £199,054 for a project that aims to produce adaptable radio hardware for space applications.

The funding was awarded through the Space to Innovate Campaign – Bravo Drop, a collaboration between the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), the UK Space Agency and the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA).

Dr. Mike Roberts, Slipstream’s technical director and co-founder, said: “The Space to Innovate Campaign aims to find and fund solutions to major space hurdles to promote space resilience and operational effectiveness.

“Bravo Drop is the second ‘challenge drop’, which invited innovators to submit technologies and solutions to help overcome specified challenges.

“Our solution is designed to improve the signal-to-noise performance of space-related communications and sensing capabilities. Currently, radio hardware is specifically designed to carry out a limited range of operations.

“On CubeSats, where payload space is at a premium, having hardware that can carry out multiple communication and sensing operations would be a major advantage. Our aim is to produce an adaptable radio platform which is software configurable and can switch between different types of wideband radio waveforms.”

The Bravo Drop funding follows hot on the heels of the company’s attendance at the Farnborough International Air Show last month, as a partner of Team Tempest, the enterprise working to create the UK’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

Commercial director Sarah Gregory explained: “Being part of the Future Combat Air System development programme is an absolute privilege, and to have our expertise recognised by the Space to Innovate Campaign is another huge win for the business.

“A core part of both these initiatives is to bring on the next generation of technologists and innovators. Both programmes require us to drive the development of new skills and expertise. We are deeply committed to nurturing talent in our field of digital radio frequency, and we have a proven model for accelerating career development.

“The Bravo Drop funding and our involvement in the Team Tempest are giving us the confidence to grow and invest, and we are on track to create many highly skilled jobs in our region and sector.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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