Sir Martin Sweeting :

So President Obama has scrapped the US plans for a manned return to the Moon. As the world claws it way out of recession, many might see this decision as being financially prudent. However, the exploration of the lunar surface is still very much on the agenda. But it won’t be man making one small step next time, it will be a robot!

Several nations are planning robotic lunar missions including India, China, Korea and interestingly, the USA. And when you think about it, this makes perfect sense because robotic lunar missions are much more cost effective than manned missions, although not so emotive. Of course, robotic exploration is nothing new with NASA and ESA both utilising this technology, but it’s still very expensive. The price tag for the European ExoMars programme is around €1Bn which is a lot of money in any currency. But does robotic exploration have to be this expensive?

MoonLITE Orbiter Penetrator, designed by SSTL for the design phase of the UK government's MoonLITE mission for a low-cost orbiter carrying scientific lunar surface penetrators and a communications relay payload to the Moon in 2014.

At SSTL we don’t think so. We think it is possible to knock a “0” off the cost of mounting lunar robotic exploration mission by simply employing the same, well founded, production techniques that SSTL use to reduce the cost of designing and building Earth-orbiting small satellites.

Currently, there is enormous interest in the moon, particularly with the prospect of finding water, the key perhaps to a permanent manned lunar base in the future. The LRO and LCROSS missions are currently surveying the lunar surface to identify future landing sites. Now is the time to mount a low cost robotic mission to Moon in order to prove the technology and its suitability for other more distant planetary missions.

SSTL founder, and Director of the Surrey Space Centre, Professor Sir Martin Sweeting gave a talk on small satellites for the Appleton Lecture organised by the IET on 19th January.

The Appleton Lecture was established in 1965 to commemorate the life and work of Sir Edward Appleton, a widely honoured physicist and Nobel Prize winner who is mainly noted for research into the upper atmosphere. In keeping with this theme, Sir Martin was invited as a world renowned expert on satellites, to give an hour long talk Small Satellites - Big Future. For anyone who missed the lecture on the 19th January, the IET has made it avaliable online at IET.tv.

If you have an interest in SSTL, satellite engineering and the future of space technology to tune in online - it's a very good watch. Just click on Small Satellites - Big future.

The SSTL Group is attending a number of shows in 2010 where it will present its latest satellite subsystems, satellite communications and civilian and commercial earth observation mission capabilities. Experts from SSTL and its American operation SSTL US will be on hand to discuss your latest space challenges and how they might be solved.

SATTECH
Singapore - 28-30 January 2010.
The Global Space and Technology Convention (GSTC) is the world’s premier Space Convention showcasing the latest technology in space engineering and design.

ASS Guidance & Control Conference
Breckenridge, Colorado, USA - 6-10 February.
Join SSTL US LLC at the AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) Conferencefor the latest developments in GN&C technology, with a unique focus on theory and applications in aeronautics and astronautics.

HOSDB 2010
Farnborough - 16-18 March 2010. Join SSTL on stand F17.
The HOSDB 2010 exhibition is a UK event showcasing the latest security equipment for law enforcement and public security. It focuses on: Crime and Policing, Security and Counter Terrorism, Identity Management and Border Security.

Satellite 2010
National Harbor, Maryland, USA - 16-18 March 2010. SSTL stand 1925.
This event looks to the future of satellite-enabled communications and the solutions that new technology and new markets will provide. Keep an eye on the Satellite Today blog for more information.

FIDAE Air & Space Show
Santiago, USA - 23-28 March 2010
This is the leading fair in Latin America and one of the five most important aeronautical fairs in the world.

National Space Symposium
Colorado Springs, USA - 12-15 April 2010. Join SSTL US LLC on stand 308.
The symposium has become widely known as the premier U.S. space policy and program forum with information and interaction on all sectors of space.

For more information keep an eye on Space Blog - or why not subscribe to our RSS feed using the big orange button in the top right.

As part of its mini-series looking at the state of British manufacturing, BBC Breakfast's Tim Muffett visited SSTL's headquarters in Guildford to find the secrets of its success.

The video report gives a sneak peak at cleanroom operations and mission control. Mr Muffet also catches up briefly with SSTL CEO Matt Perkins and Business Development Manager Phil Davies to discuss how SSTL hs carved a unique niche in the international space market with its low cost alternatives to conventional space missions.

If you missed BBC Breakfast this morning, or if like many Space Blog visitors you are from abroad you can watch the video report Surrey satellite firm weathers the recession online.