Issue - meetings

The Board received an update on recent achievements from Andrew Gardner from Airbus. 

The Board heard about the successful launch of the Stevenage biomass satellite by the European Space Agency, designed to measure global forest biomass and contribute to climate modelling.  This achievement had brought international recognition to Stevenage’s space research capabilities.

Andrew highlighted Airbus’ ongoing support for the local space ecosystem, including its accelerator programme for startups, which had seen two companies successfully launch products into space and others achieving significant progress. The programme benefited from UK Space Agency funding to refurbish incubation space at the Stevenage site, with an opening planned for November.

Andrew also reported on the success of the We Build it Better programme, a STEM outreach initiative piloted locally.  The programme improved student attendance and engagement, achieved gender balance, and fostered confidence and practical skills among participants.

The Chair thanked Andrew for his update.