World Space Week (4 – 10 October) is an international
event hosted by the United Nations with the theme: Space unites the
world.
Throughout the week, the UK Space Agency will showcase how
British space expertise can unite the world through international
collaboration, whilst revealing new opportunities for graduates
to join one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy.
Thursday 4
Three new reports published today (4 October) by the UK Space
Agency outline how the industry can help to save lives and livelihoods
from natural disasters, address major
challenges confronting the
agriculture sector, and deliver better management of
forests to improve production and protect nature on a
global scale.
Ray Fielding, Head of the UK Space Agency’s International
Partnership Programme, said:
With Britain’s world leadership in small satellite construction
and Earth observation technologies, our space sector is
well-positioned to support humanitarian assistance efforts
abroad whilst growing science and jobs back home.
To find out more about how satellite technology can support the
development sector, visit the Space for Development
website.
Friday 5
New opportunities will be revealed for graduates on Friday (5
October) to engage in the thriving space sector through
industry-based placements. The placements offer talented and
enthusiastic people an opportunity to engage in a growing global
sector, providing practical experience to gain news skills and
insights.
Schools and other organisations will also benefit from a
brand-new resource to support women engaging with the sector and
STEM subjects more widely.
The National Space Centre in Leicester is hosting a Bepi Colombo day where
guests can learn about the lobster-like instruments developed for
the upcoming mission, as well as listen to guest talks from
Professor Emma Bunce, a key Leicester scientist involved in the
mission.
BepiColombo, due
to launch later this month, is a joint mission to explore Mercury
by the European and Japanese space agencies.
Saturday 6
The Science Museum opens its ground-breaking exhibition
the Sun: living with our
star. Featuring breath-taking visuals and interactive
experiences, visitors can bask in sunlight, virtually try on a
range of historic sunglasses in a digital mirror and see the Sun
rise in different seasons and locations around the world on a
huge illuminated wall display.
Monday 8
A brand-new resource will be released for schools and institutes
to support women engaging with the sector and STEM subjects more
widely. The Agency, in collaboration with WISE, has produced a
resource pack for schools to boost the recruitment of girls into
STEM subjects post-16, particularly those that girls typically do
not choose, such as physics and engineering.
Wednesday 10
World Space Week will finalise showcasing international space
collaboration. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to learn more
about how the UK works with international partners on projects
and missions.
Some examples will include:
- In August the British built European Space
Agency’s Aeolus spacecraft was
launched which will help to deliver improved weather
forecasting
- On Wednesday (3 October) UK and Australian Space
Agencies signed an
agreement to co-operate on activities including
communications technologies, space situational awareness and
satellite navigation applications
- The Disaster Charter brings together 125 countries offering
invaluable aid to end-users. It was recently activated in
Indonesia to help emergency services reach those affected by the
hurricane and tsunami affecting thousands
- The UK is building a rover for the European Space Agency’s
ExoMars mission to explore Mars
