A Cornwall satellite company has agreed a deal to provide communications to spacecraft on lunar missions and in deep space. Goonhilly Earth Station, near Helston, signed the contract with the º£½ÇÊÓƵ Space Agency and international partners during the International Astronautical Congress in Milan.
The agreement will help expand existing º£½ÇÊÓƵ capabilities, the government said, and support the growth of the fledgling lunar economy. The contract is task-based and worth up to an initial £2m this financial year.
As the numbers of space missions beyond earth's orbit increase – to destinations including the moon – the capacity of existing services is reaching its limit. The government has said it puts the º£½ÇÊÓƵ in a "unique position" to provide increased capacity through facilities such as Goonhilly.
Sir Chris Bryant, minister for data protection and telecoms, said the contract would play a "vital role in supporting humanity’s next steps to the moon and beyond".
“The º£½ÇÊÓƵ 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 º£½ÇÊÓƵ Space Agency to attract more investment, generate high-quality jobs and support our international partners," he said.
Since 2021, Goonhilly has supported over 17 spacecraft beyond geostationary orbit, including CubeSats deployed on the Artemis-I mission. The station has also provided services for international organisations including the European Space Agency and India's national space agency.
Matthew Cosby, CTO of Goonhilly Earth Station, said: “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."
Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ Space Agency, added: “Our work with Goonhilly is a great example of how the º£½ÇÊÓƵ can benefit from the commercial opportunities associated with developing the nascent lunar and deep space economy. This contract award signals a step change in how we use different tools as a government agency to support the growing space sector and strengthen international partnerships."
