Space South Central awarded new UK Space Agency funding to drive regional growth, skills and international collaboration
Space South Central has received £160,000 from the UK Space Agency as part of a £1.6 million investment programme distributed equally among ten UK space clusters.
Cluster leads at the UK Space Conference.
The funding was announced at the UK Space Conference 2025 in Manchester, where the cluster is showcasing its impactful work.
Dr Louise Butt, Director of Space South Central at the UK Space Conference
This support will allow Space South Central to continue its operations until March 2026, with a focus on developing the regional space economy, maintaining international partnerships, and supporting skills development within the sector.
Space South Central is the UK's largest regional space cluster and is home to over 200 renowned space industry organisations across Hampshire, Surrey, and the Isle of Wight. It has generated £3.03 billion in space-related income, providing employment for 14,000 people, and contributing significantly to the local and national economy.
Louise Butt, Director of Space South Central, said: “This funding recognises the exceptional contribution Space South Central makes to both our regional economy and the UK's national space ambitions. Over the past year, we've demonstrated how sustained investment in regional innovation networks creates lasting impact, from groundbreaking skills programmes to attracting major international companies to our region.”
Space South Central’s achievements highlight the importance of the UK space cluster network. Its Space Software, Data and AI CPD Course is tackling the critical shortage of software, data, and AI skills within the UK space sector, while the ambitious JUPITER programme and its inaugural Jovian-0 mission is a notable example of students progressing from initial concept to integrating their payload into the Stellar Kinetics launch vehicle in Oman in just 12 months.
Students that are part of the Jovian-O project. From left to right: Ewan Radford, Alejandro Parra Pintado, Ieuan Carney, Harvey Nixon, Caspar Pierce.
International collaboration is integral to Space South Central’s success, as demonstrated by significant direct investment from companies such as Ramon.Space establishing operations in the region. Recent partnerships, such as Vicinity Technologies, demonstrate how cluster membership provides access to substantial international opportunities, investment, and funding.
The continued success of Space South Central is further supported by partnerships with four regional universities—Portsmouth, Southampton, Surrey, and UCL— that co-fund the cluster’s initiatives, ensuring that academic excellence underpins business and technical innovation.
Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said: “The UK Space Agency's budget uplift to £682 million will help us drive forward our work to build stronger national capabilities and catalyse more private investment, in close collaboration with the sector, wider government bodies and international partners.”
