UK Space Command has announced that the UK Space Academy will be based at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, near Shrivenham in Oxfordshire.
The Defence Academy, part of Strategic Command, delivers world class professional defence and security education, sharpening defence’s intellectual edge.
The UK Space Academy declared Initial Operating Capability in September 2023. It delivers space training and education to UK defence, as well as industry, academia, and international partners.
UK Space Command will re-develop a building at the Defence Academy, adjacent to the Defence Cyber Academy, allowing both academies to share facilities and training expertise.
The announcement was made by Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey, Commander of UK Space Command, at the UK Space Conference in Belfast.
“Space skills are critical to the UK’s growing space sector. The UK Space Academy is already virtually preparing military personnel and MOD civil servants for their mission to protect and defend UK and allied interests in space.
Our new location at the Defence Academy in Oxfordshire will allow us to maximise our growth and inspire the UK’s future space workforce alongside industry and academia, whilst also integrating with the Defence Cyber Academy, already located at Shrivenham.”Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey
Commander of UK Space Command
“To welcome the Space Academy represents a fantastic development. Bringing together all five domains at Shrivenham Station is an important step for the delivery of deeper integration and we should be excited by the opportunities it will bring our people.”
Major General Roe
Commandant of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom
The UK Space Academy currently delivers the online Foundation Space Awareness Course, delivered across defence, as well as the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System course, delivered to personnel at RAF Fylingdales.
In September 2023, the UK Space Academy held its first residential course at the Harwell Space Cluster, which was delivered to an international military and civilian cohort, with attendees with the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, and US Army, as well as representatives from academia and industry.
At its new home, the UK Space Academy will deliver a range of space courses, from foundation to executive level, and design new courses to meet emerging space requirements. It will directly support the upskilling and inspiration of the UK’s future space workforce, a focus of the National Space Strategy
