Satcoms Innovation Group’s (SIG) membership is made up of operators, manufacturers, solution providers, service providers and academic institutions, all with the shared aim of promoting innovation in satcom. In this SIG Meet the Member blog series, we’re finding out more about the group’s diverse membership.
In this blog post, we have the pleasure of introducing academic member: Space Hub Yorkshire.
Space Hub Yorkshire (SHY) is a UK Space Agency–funded regional cluster dedicated to advancing the space sector across the UK region of Yorkshire & Humberside. SHY coordinates industry, academia, and local, regional and national government to stimulate innovation, investment, and skills development in areas such as satellite data, secure communications, and advanced manufacturing.
Acting as a catalyst for collaboration, SHY connects organisations, promotes opportunities, and helps guide businesses and researchers in adopting space‑enabled technologies through a ‘Virtual Space Campus’ across all 12 universities within the Yorkshire & Humberside region.
Can you tell us about some of the initiatives you are involved with?
Space Hub Yorkshire is engaged in a range of exciting initiatives and activities such as UK-EONS, UKSA Space Champions and Space North.
UK‑EONS is a national Earth Observation network, established to expand the use of satellite data for sustainability, catalyse collaboration across sectors, and build a UK‑wide community advancing EO‑driven environmental solutions. The program is one of the Connected Capabilities Networks funded by the UK Satellite Applications Catapult.
Space North is a unique collaboration between Space Hub Yorkshire, Space North-East England, and the North-West Space Cluster to showcase the region’s resilient communications expertise, attract inward investment, boost research and collaboration, and position the North of England as a major hub for space‑sector growth and the development of Advanced Connectivity Technologies. It represents over 280 space-related organisations, including companies, research institutions, and government bodies. The collaboration is dedicated to fostering innovation and growth in the resilient communications sector, focusing on maintaining and recovering communication systems during disruptions, such as natural disasters or cyber-attacks. Space North leverages the North of England’s expertise in advanced manufacturing, robotics, cybersecurity, optical communications, and environmental technologies to advance space-related technologies and applications.
We also recently took part in the N‑ACT Summit, which united government, industry and academia to translate the UK’s advanced connectivity technology strategy into regional growth, resilience and real‑world impact, showcasing Yorkshire and the North as leaders in future telecoms and space‑enabled connectivity.
How about academic projects?
Through association with Yorkshire universities, SHY represents all 12 universities across the Yorkshire & Humberside region, and projects undertaken range from fundamental research projects to industry and UK and ESA funded research collaborations.
We are also working closely with Lab of the North, which is a collaboration between north of England universities, industry, local government and specialist facilities and is a self-sustaining virtual and distributed lab for industrially-focused telecom research, innovation and testing – specialising in 5G/6G, wireless and optical terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.
Other notable academic projects and activities being carried out by institutions that are part of the Space Hub Yorkshire regional cluster include:
The University of York leads the UK Quantum Communications Hub and has played a central role in the SPOQC (Satellite Platform for Optical Quantum Communications) CubeSat mission.
University of Sheffield contributed to ESA‑backed missions including funded free‑space optical communications projects with Airbus and UK industry to develop high‑data‑rate satcom terminals, which resulted in the university spinning out Phlux Technologies. The university also worked with Keysight to establish and launch the UK’s first national 6G research facility (2024). The facility enhances existing 6G research capability across Yorkshire and further cements the region as a centre for 6G technology research.
The Bradford-Renduchintala Centre for Space AI is at the forefront of the paradigm shift towards the low-cost, smart, sustainable exploitation of space applying AI to enable fast, optimal, and autonomous decision making. The centre undertakes research in the key areas of satellite communications, earth observation, satellite navigation, network security, distributed systems, signal processing and wireless communications.
The University of Leeds boasts a reputation as a global leader for Earth Observation (EO) capabilities, particularly in the application of SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) and InSAR (Interferometric SAR). It hosts a number of Earth Observation research centres: COMET (Centre for Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics); CPOM (Centre for Polar Observation & Modelling); and NCEO (National Centre for Earth Observation). The university is also the host institution for UK-EONS (UK Earth Observation Network for Sustainability) one of the UK Satellite Application Catapult’s Connected Capability Networks. The research undertaken at Leeds has led to a number of companies being successfully spun out including Satsense, Instrumentel and Tracsis.
In addition to undertaking and collaborating on research projects, universities across Yorkshire also support the satcoms and space industry through the provision of directly relevant undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses and Centres for Doctoral Training in disciplines such as satellite engineering, semiconductors and RF engineering.
What do you think are the biggest challenges currently facing the satcoms and space industry?
- Spectrum management / spoofing / interference & congestion
- Secure, resilient communications (particularly for defence and national security)
- Sustainability and debris mitigation
- Supply chain (particularly sovereign to the UK)
- Acquisition of talent and development of skills
- Commercialisation of new products and the ability to innovate at an accelerated pace
- Access to finance for SME’s and prolonged MOD procurement processes.
Do you have any interesting plans for the next few months?
The recent N-ACT Summit saw the unveiling of the N-ACT Network (Northern Advanced Connectivity Technologies Network). The network has been created to convene the RF, microwave and wireless connectivity cluster, which is particularly concentrated in West Yorkshire though extends across the wider geography of the North of England.
The N-ACT Network is also the vehicle around which companies in adjacent technologies such as compound semiconductors, photonics, sensors, optical communications and quantum can come together as an ecosystem to collaborate and deliver on the ambitions of the UK Industrial Strategy’s aim of the UK becoming the world leader in Advanced Connectivity Technologies.
Over the next 12 months Space Hub Yorkshire and its neighbouring space cluster partners that make up Space North will build the network becoming the focal point for UK and international terrestrial and satellite communications and wider ACT industries and organisations who seek to collaborate with world class companies and research institutions.
During 2026, Space Hub Yorkshire will also continue to build on the international partnerships it has established. Two of our core priorities are to attract space and adjacent sector investors into the Yorkshire & Humberside region and identify trade opportunities for our existing space companies in overseas markets. The key international markets in which we are focussing our activities are North America, Australia and Japan.
Additionally, we will also be working closely with the Space North initiative over the next 12 months to build on the international links it has already established, particularly with the United States.
Why is being a member of SIG important for your organisation?
Space Hub Yorkshire is a strong advocate for collaboration between industry and academia, which aligns with SIG’s drive to promote innovation. Being a member of SIG enables Space Hub Yorkshire to extend its reach nationally and internationally, bringing awareness of the wider Advanced Connectivity Technologies capabilities of Yorkshire and Humberside region to a bigger audience.
The membership is also mutually beneficial. As a cluster organisation based within academia, we provide a gateway for SIG members to the 12 universities within our geography. This facilitates introductions to world leading academics and research capability across a wide range of technical disciplines. Also valuable is our knowledge and experience of building consortia with whom national and international companies have collaborated with on projects funded by UK government departments such as the Department for International Trade, national space agencies such as ESA, UKSA and JAXA and Space Primes such as Airbus.
Find out more about Space Hub Yorkshire: https://spacehubyorkshire.org/
If you’re interested in becoming a member of SIG, you can find out more here: https://satig.space