Space sector wrapped: a 2024 round-up

As 2024 draws to a close, we take a look back at some of the major announcements and stories that made the news in the space sector.

UK

Within the UK there are now 15 clusters supporting the space industry. The Space Placements in Industry (SPIN) Programme continued to grow with 135 placements this year, the highest ever.

In March the Foot Anstey space law team was at the Space Comm Expo in Farnborough to hear the UK Government release the Space Industrial Plan first hand. This joint civil-defence plan sets out to modernise the relationship between the government and the commercial space sector.

Projects and announcements

The UK Space Agency, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the European Space Agency (ESA) announced a project to test innovative hybrid connectivity solutions in the very hardest to reach places of the UK, with a share of £3.5million in government funding. This work will showcase the potential of integrating different satellite technologies to deliver gigabit-capable speeds at affordable prices.

In February, the first Moon landing through NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative brought NASA science to the lunar surface on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander, successfully capturing data that will help us better understand the Moon’s environment and improve landing precision and safety. Goonhilly Earth Station supported this mission.

Goonhilly Earth Station announced the exciting news that they will provide deep space communications services to the UK Space Agency and international partners from their satellite Earth station in Cornwall, under a new contract announced during the International Astronautical Congress in Milan.

We all watched on the edge of our seats as Astroscale's ADRAS-J approached a rocket's upper stage within 15 meters, validating the onboard collision avoidance system. ISSA-J1 will now move into Phase II development which will focus on RPO (rendezvous and proximity operations) with large satellite debris. This is a brilliant step forward in active debris management.

Space Forge expanded into Florida, signing MoUs with Voyager Space, and Sierra Space. Space Forge is transforming return from space to enable revolutionary products, working in electronics, pharma, and alloys. The UK hosted it's first In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing Conference with interesting plans for the future of this sector – another conference is planned for next year.

Slingshot Aerospace secured $30million in growth funding from Trinity Capital Inc to enable them to scale operations and fund key growth initiatives. Slingshot Aerospace provides government and commercial partners around the world with AI-powered solutions for satellite tracking, space traffic coordination, and space modelling and simulation.

Orbit Fab's RAFTI was approved by the US Space Force as an accepted refuelling interface for military satellites. Orbit Fab is aiming to eliminate single-use spacecraft with in-space refuelling.  Orbit Fab also landed funding of £1.3m from the UK Space Agency, alongside a further £700k from contracts for UK expansion.

International and News

In 2024 a further 15 countries signed the Artemis Accords, bringing the total number of signatories to 51. The Artemis Accords provide a common set of principles to enhance the governance of the civil exploration and use of outer space.

The moon was busy this year, with the Japanese SLIM spacecraft landing, somewhat lopsidedly, on a crater rim, and China's Chang-e spacecraft taking the first samples from the far side of the moon.

In civilian operations 2024 saw the first all civilian spacewalk by SpaceX. (This mission also included the first violin performance in space by Sarah Gillis.)

Civilians and spacefarers alike mourned the Mars grounding of Ginny, NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, which finally grounded in January after damage to rotor blades. Ginny flew 72 times over 3 years, far more than the planned few flights over 30 days. Ginny has shown what can be accomplished with drone exploration and the future in this area is promising.

This year NASA were sued for space debris in a potentially precedent setting case, after a piece of International Space Station debris smashed through the roof of a Floridian family home. A new era of space litigation?

How we can help

Foot Anstey have continued to support our fantastic clients in this sector including deep space communication satellite stations, space domain awareness businesses, and launchers. Our space lawyers have been at the inaugural IOSM, Space Comm Expo, Space Tech Expo Europe, the Better Satellite World Awards, and a wealth of events focused on sustainability and supporting the sector.

With more exciting partnerships and launches planned for 2025 next year promises the continued evolution of the space sector. If your business has plans for 2025 our team of space lawyers are ready to power your ambition.