This week staff from UK ATC, STFC, Higgs Centre for Innovation and RAL Space will be at Colorado's Space Symposium, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the event. 🚀 🛰️ 🌌 It's an amazing event and a great place to meet old friends and new collaborators. If you are in Colorado come and say 'hello', we're in the UK Pavilion in the South Hall. 👋
UK Astronomy Technology Centre
Space Research and Technology
National centre for the development of scientific instrumentation and facilities for ground and space-based astronomy.
About us
The UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC), based at STFC’s Royal Observatory Edinburgh site, is the national centre for excellence in the development of scientific instrumentation for ground and space-based astronomical observatories. The site is shared with the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Astronomy, creating a vibrant mix of engineers, project managers, astronomers and students. UK ATC projects are typically multi-disciplinary and international in nature, working in collaboration with leading astronomical institutes across the world; including the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. Managing UK and international collaborations with universities, research centres, institutes and industry. Working together to answer fundamental questions about the origins and evolution of the Universe. Current projects include software for the SKAO, the world’s largest radio telescope based in South Africa and Australia; instrumentation for both for the Very Large Telescope and the Extremely Large Telescope in Chile, while UK ATC's Professor Gillian Wright CBE is the European lead on MIRI, one of four scientific instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope, which launched on Christmas Day 2021. The UK ATC leads STFC’s National Laboratories public engagement team, who provide public engagement programmes across all STFC sites. Locally this team delivers the Royal Observatory Edinburgh Visitor Centre programmes that include Astronomy Talks, Meteorite loans to schools across Scotland and Community Partnerships across Edinburgh and the Lothians. The UK ATC is also home to the Higgs Centre for Innovation, a partnership run by STFC in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, to support start-ups and SMEs working in the space and big data sectors.
- Industry
- Space Research and Technology
- Company size
- 51-200 employees
- Headquarters
- Edinburgh
- Founded
- 1998
- Specialties
- Technology, Astronomy, Science, Research, Space, Telescopes, Optics, and Engineering
Updates
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UK Astronomy Technology Centre reposted this
We're excited to be in Colorado for the 40th Space Symposium next week to talk all things space, in particular STFC's sites & unique facilities. Head over to the UK Pavilion in the BAE Systems Exhibit Center South Hall to speak to one of our team - with representation from RAL Space and UK Astronomy Technology Centre! 🌍🛰 Here’s a recap of last year’s event 👇 Space Foundation | STFC | UK Research and Innovation | UK Space Agency | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | Sarah Beardsley | Charlie Haire | Donald Macleod | Andrew Vick | Oliver Cotton | Sue Davies | David Cole
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Celebrating the amazing graduates at UK ATC 🏆 The Graduate Awards highlight the incredible work of the young scientists and engineers at UK ATC. These talented individuals have demonstrated exceptional skills and dedication in their fields. Congratulations to all the winners for their outstanding achievements! 🌟 Maia Jones | Rory Gillespie | Aslıhan Ilgın Okan | Gregor Soutar | Amna Waris | Amelia Calderhead | Jay Stephan | Ailidh Kinney | Alan O'Brien Find out more 👉 https://lnkd.in/ei-ySRx9 #Innovation #SpaceScience #GraduateAwards
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JWST reveals details of the Cosmic Tornado 🌪️ This stunning new image, captured by the MIRI and NIRCam instruments on the #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope, offers new insights into the dynamic processes shaping our universe. Find out more 👉 https://lnkd.in/ejRDWNE5 #astronomy #science
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UK Astronomy Technology Centre reposted this
Delighted to be exhibiting at the PocketQube Conference in Glasgow this week. It was great to have a mention from Richard Lochhead, Business Minister for Scotland, in his opening address about the work we are doing in Edinburgh around supporting the space ecosystem and our previous work on the James Webb Telescope MIRI. Conference website ▶️ https://lnkd.in/gNyxApM Find out more about how the Higgs Centre for Innovation brings together world-class research in astronomy (located alongside STFC's UK Astronomy Technology Centre), particle physics and the instrumentation expertise that underpins it, with business incubation facilities and laboratories suitable for commercial use. 🤝 Visit our website to find out more ▶️ https://lnkd.in/eNsrYRyT Euan Harvey | Donald Macleod | Alba Orbital | STFC Business & Innovation
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Job opportunity: Head of Project Science Strategy at UK ATC We are seeking an experienced astronomer to join our leadership team as Head of Project Science Strategy. This critical role will ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of international astronomy through the development of world-leading astronomical instrumentation. Full details: https://lnkd.in/ewE-MH6J Closing date for applications 13 April. #astronomy #scienceroles #jobopportunity
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UK ATC's Mark Booth talks Open Research EU about AtLAST - Towards an Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope 📡 👇
"The strength of #AtLAST is in science, where a large field of view, highly multiplexed instrumentation, and sensitivity to faint large-scale structures are important" says AtLAST scientist Mark Booth in this interview with Jack Nash for the #OpenResearchEU Blog. He also stresses the importance of #OpenScience: "Open science ensures efficiency in the scientific process by encouraging transparency and cutting out barriers to progress". Full interview at: https://lnkd.in/dfd9pQQ9 #HorizonEurope #sustainability #atlast2 #atlast_design
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Advancing software technology and cybersecurity at SKAO 📡 The SKA Observatory is set to be the world's largest radio observatory. The right software is vital to process the huge volume of data it will generate. At the SKAO Quarterly Planning Meeting, the focus was on the innovative software being developed to support the observatory's operations. The UK ATC is leading efforts to create specialised software for telescope control, calibration and data processing. Cybersecurity strategies were also highlighted to safeguard the observatory's data and maintain the integrity of its operations. Find out more 👉 https://lnkd.in/ekC_VDAW #SKAO #Innovation #RadioAstronomy #CyberSecurity #Astronomy
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Want to know more about tech start-ups, innovation and the Higgs Centre for Innovation? The two latest editions of STFC Business & Innovation's Impactful Science podcast take a deeper dive into the the experiences of entrepreneurs and employees at the space and technology incubation centre. Featuring Niall M. (Robocean), Mark Mooney (Singular Photonics) David Robertson (Thistle Rocketry) and Jamie Snape (Aphelion Industries) in conversation. Episode 1 🎧 👉 https://lnkd.in/e5iYYce5 Episode 2 🎧 👉 https://lnkd.in/e3zq3tpD #innovation #startups #technology
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It's great to be involved with this amazing project and excited to announce that this investment will double our construction capabilities building the optical benches for LISA Community. Find out more 👉 https://lnkd.in/eiAbVKub
£10 million investment in new space facilities for LISA in Scotland! New lab spaces will be constructed at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) to assemble the optical benches for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. The new lab and clean rooms will be hosted at the Science and Technology Facility Council’s UK ATC site in Edinburgh. This £10 million ESA contract will double UK ATC’s construction capabilities, and build on existing support from the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and its membership of ESA. The optical benches send and receive the laser beams over a 2.5 million kilometre distance between the 3 LISA spacecraft, enabling measurement of distance changes between them with an accuracy of a few trillionths of a metre (picometers). Work on the optical benches has already begun at UK ATC. The assembly process utilises Robotically Assisted Bonding (RAB), developed by UK ATC and the University of Glasgow and funded by the UKSA.
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