From 16 to 22 July Farnborough International Airshow 2018, a biennial event held in Hampshire (UK), brought together the cream of the world’s aerospace industry.

GMV’s aerospace prowess was on show in the Space Zone, located in the British Hall run by the UK Space Agency. Here, the company showcased its skill and developments in space robotics, ground-segment systems and its input to SSA programs, among others.

This year’s airshow was opened by the UK Prime Minister and attracted a turnout of close to 1500 participants representing nearly 100 countries.

The airshow included a whole host of activities, such as a lively question-and-answer session with three special guests: Al Worden, a retired American engineer and Apollo 15 astronaut; Tim Peake, a British ESA astronaut; and Shini Somara, Doctor in Mechanical Engineering and BBC science reporter.

Other prominent features in the action-packed agenda were the debating forums, the Meet the Buyer zone devoted to networking or the innovation spaces and initiatives such as the Future Days, designed to encourage youngsters into STEM careers. As part of this same initiative Tim Peake also announced the UK Space Agency’s competition to name the ESA’s ExoMars rover due to land on Mars in 2021.

During the event the UK Space Agency set out some of the milestones that will mark out its mid- and long-term future, such as a new British spaceport to be built in the Scottish county of Sutherland. The US company Lockheed Martin and the European company Orbex will be developing launch systems to be used from this site.