Protean Advanced recently attended the Made for Space at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, Ansty. This well-attended two-day event looked at the opportunities for the UK manufacturing across the space industry and the challenges that SMEs face entering this rapidly-evolving sector. Topics discussed ranged from the pragmatic – such as the impact of satellite launch capacity on the demand for manufacturing – to the more futuristic – such as the benefits of manufacturing in orbit when compared to manufacturing on the moon.

Keynote speakers included Graham Peters, Chair of UKspace, Tony Mears of the UK Space Agency, Thomas Rohr of the European Space Agency, and Stuart Martin, chief executive of the Satellite Applications Catapult. Other expert presenters included NASA, Airbus Defence and Space, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Oxford Space Systems, Innovate UK and several UK universities including Cranfield, Loughborough and Southampton.

Space represents a huge growth area, not just for Additive Manufacturing, but for the wider Connexion Technologies group, with high-tech solutions already provided by Castle Microwave and Custom Interconnect. The space industry is changing rapidly and is forecast to be worth £400 billion by 2030. Protean Advance is working with its sister companies within the Connexion Technologies group to develop niche solutions that meet the demands of the space sector.