UK Space Academy to join forces with Defence Academy

UK Space Command has announced its academy will be based at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, near Shrivenham in Oxfordshire.

After declaring initial operating capability in 2023, the UK Space Academy delivers training and education to UK defence - as well as industry, academia and international partners.

Now, UK Space Command will redevelop a building at the Defence Academy, which delivers defence and security education, to allow both academies to share facilities and training expertise.

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Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey, Commander of UK Space Command, announced the news at the UK Space Conference in Belfast.

He said skills in the domain 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," he said.

He added that working at the Defence Academy would “inspire” the UK’s future space workforce and "maximise" growth.

At its new home, the UK Space Academy will deliver space courses from foundation to executive level, whilst also designing new courses.

Major General Roe, Commandant of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, said welcoming the Space Academy is "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," he said.

The UK Space Academy currently delivers an online Foundation Space Awareness Course across defence, as well as a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System course, delivered to personnel at RAF Fylingdales.

In September, the UK Space Academy had its first residential course at the Harwell Space Cluster - delivered to a cohort of international military personnel and civilians.

This included personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, and US Army, as well as representatives from academia and industry.