- DASA has launched the Charlie Drop of the Space to Innovate Campaign
- Up to £1.5 million in funding available for innovative technologies that can aid UK Defence and Security to develop future space science and technologies
- The Space to Innovate Campaign - Charlie Drop is the third 'challenge drop' as part of the Space to Innovate Campaign
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) Space Programme are pleased to launch the Charlie Drop of the Space to Innovate Campaign. The Charlie Drop seeks proposals that can aid UK Defence and Security to develop future space science and technologies.
Charlie Drop follows on from the Alpha and Bravo Drops, and offers a broader range of challenge areas to explore novel solutions.
What innovations is DASA looking for?
- novel ways to achieve fine resolution collection for intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance (ISR)
- technologies and techniques to alert, protect and defend satellites
- satellite and ground segment technologies for future Defence operations
Tony Forsythe, Head of Space technology at the UK Space Agency, said:
The UK has a fast-growing space sector that makes a significant contribution to our economy and security. We rely on similar underpinning technologies for civil and defence uses of space and, by working together with our partners at Dstl and DASA, we can tackle shared challenges and seize significant new opportunities. With the Space to Innovate - Charlie Drop competition, we are supporting the development of future space science and technology that can benefit us all.
Key dates and funding
The total funding available for Space to Innovate - Charlie Drop is £1.5 million (excl VAT). DASA expects to fund between 3 and 12 proposals over a 24 month period.
The deadline to submit a proposal is 12 midday BST on Wednesday 12 July 2023.
Space to Innovate - Charlie Drop Challenge Areas
Charlie Drop aims to attract novel scientific and technological solutions from a broad range of innovators, including academia and industry, to address the UK's Defence and Security space challenges.
Space to Innovate - Charlie Drop has 3 challenge areas which address themes set out by the Defence Space Strategy.
Challenge Area 1: Novel ways to achieve fine resolution collection for intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance (ISR)
This challenge area seeks technologies and scientific techniques to achieve fine resolution imaging for space-based ISR / Earth Observation, especially from non-Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Challenge Area 2: Technologies and techniques to alert, protect and defend satellites
This challenge area seeks methods to provide warning of threats, and types of threats to critical Defence and Security assets in space.
Challenge Area 3: Satellite and ground segment technologies for future Defence operations
This challenge seeks to develop technologies for satellite platforms and ground segments of specific relevance to Defence and Security applications.
Read the full competition document to learn more about the challenge areas.
