Technology in Space: Exploring the Cosmos

With advances in reusable rockets the number of satellites has grown exponentially. This technology can connect the world no matter how remote, bringing life-changing opportunities in education, economics, and democracy. However, the huge number of satellites pose an environmental risk of their own, where collisions can cascade through space and the bright satellites could destroy astronomy. This talk discusses the opportunities and challenges of megaconstellations, and the research at the University of Manchester aimed at minimising this harm and enabling the benefits for all of humanity.

From the first predicted observation of the transit of Venus, to the establishment of Jodrell Bank and the testing of Europe’s first space launch vehicles, the North West has a long established relationship with Space. Discover how organisations from Crewe to Carlisle, from the peaks of the Pennines to the shores of the Irish Sea, are once again raising their eyes to the stars, taking small steps and giant leaps to turbo-charge the UK Space industry by unleashing their innovative capabilities in advanced manufacturing, digital technology, materials discovery, life sciences, and nuclear energy.

The Giant Foamboard Aircraft Research and Outreach Programme started out as a research project and has now grown to become a society of 50+ members at the University of Manchester. We have built and successfully flown two planes already (MK.I and MK.II planes) and are on track to complete a third (Delta)! Having published and presented a research paper in the AIAA SciTech Forum in Florida, we are an established aerospace-based community. We also host regular outreach events to spread key aerospace research to the wider community of Manchester. In the upcoming months, we aim to complete and hopefully fly our Delta plane!