Cardiff Met Expands Space Research Capability to Support UK Space Economy

Cardiff Metropolitan University is strengthening its position in the UK’s rapidly growing space sector through advanced research in satellite communications and aerospace technologies.

Dr Jasim Uddin from Cardiff School of Technologies (CST) is leading work to address key challenges in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite systems, including limited onboard power, strict size-weight-power constraints and the need for reliable long-distance communication.

His project, delivered through the UKRI Innovation Launchpad Network (ILN+) in collaboration with the Satellite Applications Catapult, focused on the design and prototyping of a compact, high-gain reflectarray antenna for CubeSats: a flat, foldable and lightweight communication device that uses printed circuit board technology to reflect signals efficiently. This function allows tiny satellites to transmit high-speed data, an innovation aimed at improving performance in next-generation satellite communication systems.

“The future of satellite communications depends on compact, efficient and high-performance technologies,” said Dr Uddin. “Our work is helping to address some of the most critical engineering challenges in LEO systems while creating solutions that are commercially and strategically relevant to the UK space sector.”

Cardiff Met is also playing a growing role in sector collaboration. Dr Uddin recently organised a national ‘space and satellite communications challenge’, bringing together nearly 40 experts from academia and industry to foster partnerships and support new research consortia.

His leadership in the field has been further recognised through his appointment as Co-Lead for the space and aviation challenge area within the UK Metamaterials Network.

This momentum has led to more funding success, with Dr Uddin securing competitive grants from Airbus Endeavr, Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, and the Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme (CyberASAP).

“This work demonstrates how Cardiff Met is translating research into real-world impact,” he said. “By working closely with industry and national partners, we are building the capability needed to support the UK’s ambitions in space and advanced communications.”