10 shoebox-sized satellites to be built in Scotland as part of new innovative constellation service

As the number of new-generation of small satellites are increasing in orbit, AAC Clyde Space, Sweden-based small satellite spacecraft provider, is set to manufacture 10 new shoebox-sized satellites to offer array of services.

Within the scope of the three-year project called xSPANCION, each of the satellites will be built for providing space-based services to businesses, including satellite communications, Earth observation and remote sensing.

The UK Space Agency backs the project, planning to devote about $11 million to the $22.5-million attempt through the European Space Agency. Companies will be able to use the constellation to meet their space-data needs with a one-stop-shop.

Importance of the shoebox-sized satellites for the UK

“This game-changing project will see AAC Clyde Space develop cutting-edge technology, including communication between satellites to increase data performance, and help keep the UK at the forefront of the global small satellite market,” the UK Space Agency Chief Executive Graham Turnock said regarding the plan.

AP/NASA photo.

The project of the shoebox-sized satellites also supports the launch of small satellites from the UK soil in the forthcoming years, according to Turnock. “The UK is a leading investor in telecommunications research, which is why we recently committed £250 million (about $332 million) of investment to back ESA projects led by innovative companies like AAC Clyde Space,” he added.

AAC Clyde Space provides advanced small spacecraft, mission services, and spacecraft solutions for government. Luis Gomes, chief executive of the company said: “The project will revolutionise our space-as-a-service offering. It will allow us to significantly reduce the cost of every message collected, every image captured.”

“It is fantastic to see more UK Space Agency funding being awarded to Scottish companies,” the UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said.

Additional information: Turnover for the space industry in the United Kingdom from 2014 to 2019 (in billion GBP), per Statista:

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