Satellite Applications Catapult (SAC)

Enhanced communications. Sustainable supply chains. Climate resilience. The Satellite Applications Catapult is at the forefront of the satellite services revolution, accelerating innovation in space applications for real-world impact. By facilitating connections between industry and academia, we drive economic growth in the field.

What is it?

SAC is a catalyst for satellite innovation at Harwell and a key player in the Space Tech cluster. It connects companies of all sizes to research institutions to achieve lift-off for satellite tech projects and speed solutions to market, ultimately making space more accessible for all. One of nine Catapults, it’s set up to advance a specific field of expertise and provide stimulus for the UK economy.

SAC develops applications for space that have a tangible impact on life on the ground such as monitoring the effects that food supply chains have on ecosystems and investigating how next-generation communications can support growth in rural areas. Since 2013, it has facilitated over 140 collaborative projects involving almost 100 companies – almost half of which were SMEs, a third non-space – and over 25 universities.
Our facilities, programmes and platforms have been used by hundreds of organisations from a variety of sectors from agriculture to health tech – raising over £24.2 million of equity capital for our partners.

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Facilities include a satcomms lab, CEMS cloud processing service and Far Field Antenna Test Range, have been used by hundreds of organisations from sectors as diverse as agriculture to health tech. SAC programmes include a Space Commercialisation Engine for start-ups, Disruptive Innovation for Space Capability (DISC) facilities for taking ideas from proof-of-concept to prototype and Space Enterprise Labs, which provides access to technology, resources and expertise at centres around the country. While our unique Space Enterprise Community is a collaborative platform that connects the UK space industry