{"id":348532,"date":"2026-07-22T13:09:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T13:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/348532\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T13:09:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T13:09:09","slug":"the-uk-and-space-florida-launch-joint-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/348532\/","title":{"rendered":"The UK and Space Florida Launch Joint Fund"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials from Florida and the UK established a \u00a3300,000 ($401,000) fund on the sidelines of the Farnborough Air Show yesterday, intended to spur innovative space partnerships on both sides of the pond.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Backed by UKSA\u2019s International Bilateral Fund and Space Florida\u2019s International Aerospace Innovation Fund, the new fund supports projects with at least one partner headquartered in each region.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Better together: The joint call for projects will open this fall, with selections expected in early 2027.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Florida is best-known for its launch pads, the fund targets more than just access to orbit. Officials from the UK and Florida said the fund is likely to direct its capital at projects in space transportation, satellite systems, in-space research, advanced exploration, and ISAM.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The goal\u2014from the UK\u2019s perspective\u2014is to create commercial opportunities for UK companies in the US market.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe UK\u2019s space sector has enormous ambition, and partnerships like this one show exactly why international collaboration is central to our plans,\u201d UKSA Director Rebecca Evernden said in a statement. \u201cBy joining forces with Space Florida, we\u2019re opening new doors for British companies, researchers and innovators to work on the cutting-edge projects that will define the next generation of space capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three if by space: The fund is the latest example of deepening ties between the UK and the Space Coast, as the UK looks beyond its borders to boost its space startup sector.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the ink dried on the Space Florida-UK partnership, the UK-based VC firm Seraphim Space announced the second Florida cohort of its Investment Readiness Program, offering mentorship, commercial guidance, and international investor access to five Florida-based space startups:<\/p>\n<p>LEO Biosciences is developing biomanufacturing capabilities in-orbit to study cancer treatments, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders.RootMatrix Bio is building technologies targeting crop production in space.Satlantis is building EO solutions for government and commercial customers.Seagate Space is attempting to create off-shore launch solutions.The Skyway Organization is engineering advanced materials and autonomous infrastructure to operate in space.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTheres a lot of investment in Florida, but it\u2019s either invested in real estate because they got so much land, or it leaves the state\u2026so what [Florida] wanted to do was have a partner come in who could educate investors on the opportunity of new space.\u201d Seraphim Space Enterprise Managing Director Alexander Holt told Payload. \u201cWe\u2019re a force multiplier\u2026We\u2019re about getting companies match-fit to raise investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Related Stories<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"post-thumbnail\" href=\"https:\/\/payloadspace.com\/deltavision-raises-e10-2m-to-build-in-orbit-refueling-tech\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"285\" height=\"190\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DSC09977Low-285x190.jpg\" class=\"attachment-grid-thumbnail size-grid-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"deltaVision Raises \u20ac10.2M to Build In-Orbit Refueling Tech\" decoding=\"async\"  \/> <\/a><\/p>\n<p>deltaVision plans to use the new capital to fund two parallel expansion efforts: grow its manufacturing capacity, and research new capabilities.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"post-thumbnail\" href=\"https:\/\/payloadspace.com\/skyroot-aerospace-reaches-orbit-with-vikram-1-rocket\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> <img width=\"304\" height=\"171\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Dug-Dug-2-696x392-1-304x171.webp\" class=\"attachment-grid-thumbnail size-grid-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Skyroot Aerospace Reaches Orbit with Vikram-1 Rocket\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/> <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Skyroot Aerospace became the first private Indian company to reach orbit on Saturday, when its Vikram-1 rocket lifted off from India\u2019s primary spaceport\u2014the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"post-thumbnail\" href=\"https:\/\/payloadspace.com\/beyond-reach-labs-raises-10m-seed-moves-to-nyc\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> <img width=\"285\" height=\"190\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DSC00056-285x190.jpg\" class=\"attachment-grid-thumbnail size-grid-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Beyond Reach Labs Raises $10M Seed, Moves to NYC\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/> <\/a><\/p>\n<p>No matter how lofty the space industry\u2019s dreams get, the reality of spaceflight remains limited by size, weight, and power constraints<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"post-thumbnail\" href=\"https:\/\/payloadspace.com\/isu-founder-shares-a-vision-beyond-liquidation\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> <img width=\"286\" height=\"190\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/International-Space-University-286x190.jpg\" class=\"attachment-grid-thumbnail size-grid-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"ISU Founder Shares a Vision Beyond Liquidation\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/> <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Payload spoke with ISU cofounder Bob Richards and Dean Emerita Angie Bukley about what happened, and what comes next.<\/p>\n<p> More Stories<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"504\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/global-space-activity-05-25.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Global space activity by year. Image: Space Foundation\" decoding=\"async\"  \/>Global space activity by year. Image: Space Foundation<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The global space economy totaled a record $686B in 2025, according to the Space Foundation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Space Foundation released its annual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spacefoundation.org\/events\/global-space-economy\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener noreferrer nofollow\">State of the Global Space Economy report<\/a> yesterday, which tallies commercial revenue and government spending across dozens of countries and agencies. The report found the space economy grew 12% compared to 2024, and the upward trend isn\u2019t stopping anytime soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe five-year compound annual growth rate now approaches 10 percent, and Space Foundation expects continued growth for the next several years,\u201d Space Foundation CEO Heather Pringle said in an announcement video. \u201cThe primary reason for this growth is simple: space has become critical infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/payloadspace.com\/breaking-down-the-686b-space-economy\/\" class=\"keep-reading-link\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Keep reading<\/a><\/p>\n<p> Load More<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Officials from Florida and the UK established a \u00a3300,000 ($401,000) fund on the sidelines of the Farnborough Air&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":348533,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-348532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}