The UK’s Space sector is at the cutting edge of exploring the universe and connecting people to the world around them. Growing at over 8% a year, the UK’s Space industry designs, develops and manufactures technology that supports industry and works towards a bright future for people and the Space Sector. UK built satellites have a great impact on how technology operates and connects people in their everyday lives, and also have some really specialised unique features:
1) Satellites provide technology that supports everyday lives from, access to the internet to banking services such as ATMs and card machines
2) 40% of the worlds small satellites are made in the UK
3) Quartz crystals are vital to satellites – the oscillators that vibrate when you pass an electrical signal through them provide a highly precise tuned frequency
4) The gold foil on satellites are specifically adapted so that when in orbit satellites can adjust to the extreme temperatures
5) 1/4 of the worlds telecomm satellites are made at Airbus in Stevenage
6) A single standard satellite can take up to several months to manufacture to the highest of quality
7) Many larger satellite dishes are warped and distorted, this is actually to achieve the best signal
8) Skynet 5 has satellite wings the size of a very large corridor
