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Space Technology: Higher Education

Asked by Sir Oliver DowdenConservativeDepartment for Business, Innovation, Science and TradeTabled Answered 7 September 2026UIN 21184

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what funding or resources are being made available through the UK Space Agency to support university-led propulsion testing initiatives and competitions to encourage more STEM graduates into the domestic space sector.

Answered by Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

The UK Space Agency provides dedicated support for university-led rocketry and propulsion skills through its £5 million Rocketry Research, Training and Teaching programme. This funds research and doctoral training and student competitions, including Race2Space, where university teams design, build and hot-fire rocket engines at the Westcott Space Cluster, home to the National Space Propulsion Test Facility.

UKSA funds approximately 50 paid internship placements with space-sector employers yearly, providing students which hands-on experience of current space projects, and practical work experience. Internship placements include multiple propulsion projects.

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