Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) Programme - Call 3
Apply for the UK Space Agency Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) Programme Funding Call 3: National Only Route.
Documents
Details
Details
Who can apply: UK Industry
Funding Envelope: £42,000,000
Deadline: 12:00 pm UK time on Monday 7 September 2026
The satellite communications sector is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by the emergence of high-volume constellations and the need for scalable, resilient infrastructure. To remain competitive, UK industry must accelerate the development and industrialisation of key technologies such as regenerative processing, networking and routing, active antennas, optical links, and advanced user terminals.
To ensure the UK can seize these strategic opportunities, the UK Space Agency (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) is seeking proposals that will drive innovation in satellite communications and strengthen the UK’s position in the global constellation supply chain.
This is a defined grants Call, with up to £42,000,000 of UK Space Agency funding being made available. Theavailable. thresholdThe forUK grantSpace Agency is seeking to award funding requestedof fromaround UK£4 Spacemillion Agencyto is£25 million per project to a minimumhandful of £5,000,000. of projects through this third call.
All projects must include a compelling element of matched funding to be eligible under the programme. Further details on matched funding and other eligibility requirements are contained in the guidance document.
The Call opens on Monday 20th July 2026 and will close at 12:00pm GMT on Monday 7th September 2026. The UK Space Agency aims to notify all applicants of the results of their Stage One proposals by Friday 2nd October 2026
Schedule for Applications
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Funding Call Opens: Monday 20 July 2026
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Deadline for submission of the UK Space Agency Stage One Form: 12:00pm UK time Monday 7 September 2026
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Notification of Outcomes and Invitations to Next Stage (stage 2): By Friday 2 October 2026
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Deadline for Submission of the UK Space Agency Stage Two Form & Associated Annexes: 12:00pm, Wednesday 11 November 2026
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Notification of Outcomes: By Wednesday 16 December 2026
Any questions about this funding opportunity should be submitted to UKSA.Satcoms@dsit.gov.uk. Questions submitted to any other DSIT email address will not be considered.
Updates to this page
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The funding amount for each project has been amended.
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First published.
Update history
2026-08-20 15:41
FAQ 2.1 has been updated to replace £10 million with £25 millionFAQ 2.12 has been updated to say “The UK Space Agency is only able to provide CAPEX funding. Operating costs are reimbursable as set out in the call guidance. This includes travel and subsistence, subcontracting and project labour. Any expenditure incurred (irrespective of category) is reimbursed in arrears, as is the requirement of government grant funding.Please refer to the published call guidance for more information on eligible and ineligible expenditure.New FAQs have been added/updated: 2.12, 2.34, 2.35, 2.36, 3.4, 4.8, 4.9. They cover the following: Question: Is European Space Agency involved in this call in any way?Answer: C-LEO Call 3: National Only does not involve the European Space Agency as this is a National only call. Question: The Guidance for Applicants (Section 2) states that products and services from non-UK suppliers considered essential to delivery may be included in proposals, provided they are declared at Stage One. FAQ 2.14, however, states that overseas counterpart costs are not eligible for funding and that non-UK subcontractors are expected to self-fund, with eligibility only “by exception.” Please clarify whether essential non-UK expenditure can be grant-eligible by exception, or whether it must always be self-funded and treated as match funding, and how it should be declared at Stage One.Answer: Non-UK subcontractors can be eligible if the work is essential and UKSA grant the exception. The use of non-UK subcontractors should be clearly expressed within the relevant assessment section of your proposal.Question: Is there scope for non-UK based companies to participate as a consortium partner or subcontractor to a UK-led consortium?Answer: Section 7 of the Guidance for Applicants states that “The lead applicant must be a UK-registered entity and must be registered with Companies House. All project partners must also be UK-based organisations, unless otherwise agreed with the UK Space Agency.Question: Do you or do you intend to circulate the list of organisations that have expressed an interest in leading bids for C-LEO3 and Is any information available about the consortium-building event (Harwell, 6th August) for the new UKSA C-LEO call for those unable to attend on the day?Answer: We’re not able to give out any details of companies who attended the Consortium-Building Event as we don’t hold this information. We also don’t hold a list of organisations looking to form consortia as a result of the event. The presentation made by UKSA/BIST is available on the gov.uk webpage. Question: Are partner or sub-contractor participation within scope for the call – and, if appropriate, are you able to point us toward primes or consortia forming?Answer: Yes entering the call as part of a consortium or subcontractor is eligible, and all eligibility criteria can be found on our gov.uk page. We don’t hold a list of organisations looking to form consortia or any primes who might be submitting a proposal to C-LEO Call 3: National Only. Question: Is there anything legally binding within the Stage 1 submission?Answer: No, your Stage One submission is not legally binding. However, if you are successful at Stage Two, you will be asked to sign a Grant Funding Agreement which forms the legal basis for your grant award. Question: What is the permissible deviation between total costs stated in Stage 1 and Stage 2?Answer: Whilst it is expected that costs may not be 100% finalised upon submission of Stage One proposals and some degree of variation is to be expected, applicants should endeavour to provide as accurate evidence as possible and refer to Section 2 of Guidance Note D as it may impact scoring. Applicants must state in their Stage Two submission if any costs are different from their Stage One submission.
2026-07-24 11:21
Question added to Guidance Note A – FAQs – New question 2.30 under Section 2 Funding and Eligibility.
2026-07-20 09:17
The funding amount for each project has been amended.
2026-07-20 00:01
First published.