Goonhilly Earth Station signed a new contract with the UK Space Agency today (Oct 16) at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan.
The agreement sees Goonhilly provide deep space communications services to the UK Space Agency and international partners at a time when the number of space missions beyond Earth orbit are increasing and the capacity of existing services reaches its limit.
Since 2021, Goonhilly has supported over 17 spacecraft beyond geostationary orbit, including CubeSats deployed on the Artemis-I mission. Goonhilly has also provided services for international organisations, including ESA, ISRO, and Intuitive Machines.
Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms, Sir Chris Bryant, said: “Just as digital infrastructure helps us stay connected here on Earth, this Government-backed contract will play a vital role in supporting humanity’s next steps to the Moon and beyond.
“The UK has a real competitive advantage in space and I want to exploit that to its full potential, using innovative commercial models such as those demonstrated by Goonhilly and the UK Space Agency to attract more investment, generate high-quality jobs and support our international partners.”
This new agreement between the UK Space Agency and Goonhilly will help expand existing UK capabilities and unlock new and emerging markets. The contract is “task-based” and worth up to an initial £2 million this financial year.
Goonhilly’s chief technology officer, Matthew Cosby, said: “Goonhilly is at the forefront of commercial lunar and deep space communication services, providing vital infrastructure and expertise that supports international missions to the Moon and beyond. As the demand for deep space communications continues to grow, this new contract enables us to expand our capacity, support more missions and play a key role in the next chapter of space exploration.”
