A Cornwall satellite company has agreed a deal to provide communications to spacecraft on lunar missions and in deep space. Goonhilly Earth Station, near Helston, signed the contract with the UK Space Agency and international partners during the International Astronautical Congress in Milan.
The agreement will help expand existing UK capabilities, the government said, and support the growth of the fledgling lunar economy. The contract is task-based and worth up to an initial £2m this financial year.
As the numbers of space missions beyond earth’s orbit increase – to destinations including the moon – the capacity of existing services is reaching its limit. The government has said it puts the UK in a “unique position” to provide increased capacity through facilities such as Goonhilly.
Sir Chris Bryant, minister for data protection and telecoms, said the contract would play a “vital role in supporting humanity’s next steps to the moon and beyond”.
“The UK has a real competitive advantage in space and I want to exploit that to its full potential, using innovative commercial models such as those demonstrated by Goonhilly and the UK Space Agency to attract more investment, generate high-quality jobs and support our international partners,” he said.
Since 2021, Goonhilly has supported over 17 spacecraft beyond geostationary orbit, including CubeSats deployed on the Artemis-I mission. The station has also provided services for international organisations including the European Space Agency and India’s national space agency.
Matthew Cosby, CTO of Goonhilly Earth Station, said: “As the demand for deep space communications continues to grow, this new contract enables us to expand our capacity, support more missions, and play a key role in the next chapter of space exploration.”
Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, added: “Our work with Goonhilly is a great example of how the UK can benefit from the commercial opportunities associated with developing the nascent lunar and deep space economy. This contract award signals a step change in how we use different tools as a government agency to support the growing space sector and strengthen international partnerships.”