Celebrating Bristol's remarkable contribution to space exploration during #WorldSpaceWeek

#WorldSpaceWeek is celebrated annually from 4th to 10th October to commemorate the incredible advancements in science and technology that enhance human life. In this spirit, Aerospace Bristol is highlighting Bristol’s remarkable contributions to space missions and programmes.

Last month, the first satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA) Cluster quartet safely returned to Earth. The spacecraft, ‘Salsa’ (Cluster 2), re-entered the Earth's atmosphere at 20:47 CEST on 8th September over the South Pacific Ocean. Its Orbit Control and Reaction Control Subsystems were provided by BAe/Matra Marconi Space in Filton, Bristol. Ray Cotton, a local resident, won the competition conducted by ESA to name the Cluster spacecraft.

Filton played a part in the Hubble Telescope mission as British Aerospace (BAe) was prime contractor for the Photon Detector Assembly (the heart of the Faint object Camera) and also designed and constructed the telescope’s first and second sets of 25-foot long Solar Arrays.

Envisat, Bristol’s most ambitious project, made significant contributions to environmental research. Launched in 2002, it was on the of the European Space Agency’s environmental satellites and, at the time, it was the largest and most sophisticated Earth observation satellite ever built. Its data provided scientists with a comprehensive look at the Earth’s oceans, land, atmosphere, sea ice, polar caps, ocean winds and currents.

Engineers at Filton played an instrumental role in missions such as, COS-B (which measured the cosmic ray background), EXOSAT (focused on X-ray astronomy), Hipparcos (which compiled a stellar catalogue), and Ariel 6 (which detected heavy cosmic rays).

Aerospace Bristol showcases these remarkable advancements, highlighting the contributions of Bristol’s engineers to satellite communication, deep space exploration, and beyond.

Skylark launch, Woomera, Australia, 1972.