Surrey Space Institute
Building on Surrey’s 45-plus-year reign in small-satellite innovation, the Surrey Space Institute (SSI) channels the expertise of the Surrey Space Centre and Surrey Satellite Technologies Limited to create a pan-University hub where discovery, skills and industry collide.
Welcome to the Surrey Space Institute
Launched in 2025, the Surrey Space Institute harnesses more than forty years of Surrey satellite leadership to power bold, cross-disciplinary breakthroughs for today’s pressing challenges.
Working across engineering, law, bioscience, AI and beyond, we build missions that safeguard Earth’s resources, shore up critical orbital infrastructure, and unlock new frontiers for explorers en route to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
We work hand in hand with government, companies and universities, locally through Space South Central and through strong national and global partnerships, to push research from concept to orbit.
By expanding Surrey’s renowned degrees, short courses and live mission opportunities, we cultivate the skilled minds that tomorrow’s space sector needs.
Join us to keep space resilient, innovative and a launchpad for human discovery.
Our vision
Through strong industry partnerships and world-class training, the Surrey Space Institute will reinforce the University of Surrey’s position as a global leader in space research, education and technologies that drive economic growth while serving humanity and protecting the environment.
National importance
Over the past decade, the growth of the UK space sector has consistently outpaced both the global space sector and the wider UK economy, highlighting the sector’s importance. Public backing has also grown, with the UK Space Agency allocating £642 million in 2023/24 to accelerate missions, launch infrastructure, and skills programmes.
In light of this momentum, the University of Surrey is stepping up by launching its cross-disciplinary Surrey Space Institute (SSI), positioning the University for global leadership in the next era of UK space innovation.
Key goals
The Surrey Space Institute brings together our strengths in research, innovation, and education to achieve five key goals that reflect our ambition, interdisciplinarity, and impact.
- Strengthen our capability to deliver technology and missions into space
- Expand to include broader Surrey space activities across diverse disciplines
- Become the UK’s premier institution for space skills training across disciplines
- Consolidate our position as the UK’s leading university for small satellites
- Become the UK’s leading university for supporting the growth of SMEs in space.
Surrey space heritage
The Surrey Space Institute builds on the proud legacy of the Surrey Space Centre - a pioneering force in space engineering and research for over four decades.
Founded in the late 1970s by Sir Martin Sweeting, the Space Centre transformed the global space sector by proving that small, low-cost satellites could deliver high-impact results. This revolution gave birth to the modern small satellite industry and laid the foundation for Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), a globally respected company that remains headquartered on campus.
From its inception, the Centre has been at the forefront of innovation, launching more than 50 space missions and training generations of engineers, scientists, and mission leaders.
Its achievements span Earth observation, satellite autonomy, interplanetary science, and in-orbit servicing - often punching well above its weight in international collaborations with ESA, NASA, and other global agencies.
Today, the Surrey Space Institute inherits this legacy - not just continuing it, but expanding it.
We honour the spirit of practical innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and impact-driven research that made the Surrey Space Centre a global reference. And we aim to take that vision further: empowering the next generation, strengthening industry links, and developing technologies that serve both humanity and the environment.
Meeting the skills gap
We will provide hands-on training programmes to meet the UK’s critical skills gap in the space sector.
