WIREDGOV

The same technology that ensures operating theatre equipment works properly could soon be monitoring speed and position in communication satellites and other spacecraft. But manufacturer Zettlex would never have thought of sending its products into orbit without the Technology Strategy Board. 

‘Space was a sector we had no experience in,' said Mark Howard, the founder and managing director of Zettlex, a company that designs and builds sensors that measure position or speed accurately in harsh environments.

But then Airbus Defence and Space, a leading supplier of satellite and space transportation systems, saw Zettlex sensors working in a radar system on a warship. It approached Zettlex about working together to enter the Space for Growth Fast Track competition for collaborative R&D funding run by the Technology Strategy Board and the UK Space Agency.

The Space for Growth call was principally funded by the UK Space Agency as a core part of the National Space Technology Programme (NSTP).

‘There was an element of luck but once we saw the opportunity all the stars lined up. What the Technology Strategy Board was asking for was exactly what we wanted to do: taking interesting technologies for UK companies and developing them for space,' said Mark.

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