Mission Feasibility Studies – Spacecraft Life Extension Service Demonstration

Buyer
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Value
£2,100,000
Closes
27 November 2026
Where
London
Type
Open tender

In plain English

The UK Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, through the UK Space Agency, is funding about three early-stage feasibility studies worth £2.1 million in total. The studies will examine how a spacecraft could be safely docked with, and serviced in orbit, to extend its working life (for example through refuelling or repair), with a view to a possible future demonstration mission.

What the buyer wants

• Develop and compare credible mission concepts for an in-orbit life extension demonstration with a prepared client spacecraft, covering the client, servicer, launch, operations and ground-segment options. • Assess how each concept could demonstrate safe, reliable and repeatable docking operations and support a commercially relevant service such as refuelling, attitude and orbit control takeover, relocation, repair, upgrade or refurbishment. • Identify the evidence, costs, risks, dependencies and decision points needed to inform a future demonstration procurement and its Business Case.

Requirements

What could rule a small business out (our reading of the notice, written with AI): The notice text provided does not set out specific eligibility criteria, but the work is specialist space mission engineering and R&D, so a small trades business without aerospace or space systems capability would most likely be ruled out.

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How to bid

This is an open tender: any eligible business can respond directly to the buyer by the deadline, with no framework membership needed.

Where to apply

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Questions about this tender? The official notice gives the buyer's contact.

How to write a tender response

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