Greater Together: UK-US Space Collaboration Symposium will bring together leading scientists, engineers, industry innovators and government representatives from both sides of the Atlantic to celebrate the decades of scientific discovery and exploration made possible through close partnership between the UK and U.S. From the UK’s leadership on the MIRI instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope (launched in 2021) to its pioneering roles on Solar Orbiter (2020), Cassini-Huygens (1997), and the newly launched IMAP mission (2025), UK scientists and engineers have contributed critical instruments and expertise that have enabled ground-breaking research across astrophysics, heliophysics, and planetary science. This symposium will honor these successes, highlighting how UK ingenuity in instrumentation and design has paired with NASA’s mission platforms and operational excellence to deliver some of the most iconic achievements in modern space science. By celebrating these shared milestones at Caltech, a hub of space innovation and home to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the symposium will reaffirm the strengths of UK-US collaboration in space and provide inspiration for new UK-US missions that will build on this legacy of discovery.
The UK-US Collaboration in Space Symposium is co-hosted by Greater Together LA, the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) at Caltech, the British Consulate General in LA, the UK Space Agency and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Team Leads
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Paul Rennie OBE
His Majesty’s Consul General, British Consulate-General Los Angeles
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Stephanie Ashmore
British Embassy
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Martin Barstow
University of Leicester
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Neil Bowles
University of Oxford
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Hao Cao
UCLA
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Meganne Christian
UK Space Agency
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Matthew Cosby
Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd
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Ravi Desai
University of Warwick
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Christophe Dumas
UK Astronomy Technology Centre
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Charles Elachi
Caltech
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Woody Fischer
Caltech
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Abigail Fraeman
JPL
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Timothy Horbury
Imperial College London
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Jonathan Lunine
JPL/Caltech
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Shouleh Nikzad
JPL
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Anika Patel
Caltech
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Jesper Skottfelt
Open University
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Vincent Van Eylen
UCL
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2:30 – 3:00 | Registration and Refreshments | Chen Institute Breezeway |
| 3:00 – 3:15 | Introduction and Welcome Paul Rennie OBE, His Majesty’s Consul General, British Consulate-General Los Angeles Stephanie Ashmore, Director for the Americas – Science & Technology Network, British Embassy Washington DC John Eiler, Robert P. Sharp Professor of Geology and Geochemistry, Ted and Ginger Jenkins Leadership Chair, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, Caltech Georgina Goode, Deputy Director for Strategy & Formulation, JPL Adam Amara, Chief Scientist, UK Space Agency | Chen 100 Lecture Hall |
| 3:15 – 3:45 | Keynote Talk: Meganne Christian – UK Reserve Astronaut and Senior Exploration Manager, UK Space Agency | |
| 3:45 – 4:30 | Panel Discussion: UK-US Science Collaboration in Space Charles Elachi, Caltech (moderator) Woody Fischer – Jean-Lou Chameau Professor of Geobiology, Caltech Abigail Fraeman – Research Scientist, JPL Timothy Horbury – Professor of Physics, Imperial College London Neil Bowles – Professor of Planetary Science, University of Oxford | |
| 4:30 – 5:20 | Lightning Round Talks and Quick-Fire Updates on US-UK space activities Huygens Titan Probe – Jonathan Lunine, JPL Revealing Saturn's Magnetic field with Cassini MAG – Hao Cao, UCLA JPL-UK Collaborative Efforts: Ultraviolet Detector Development and Deployment – Shouleh Nikzad, JPL Detector performance improvements for Roman CGI and HWO – Jesper Skottfelt, Open University Oxford Physics Space Science and Instrumentation – Carly Howett, University of Oxford HWO and small mission opportunities – Martin Barstow, University of Leicester Transformational astrophysics and exoplanet science with Habitable Worlds Observatory in the US and UK – Vincent Van Eylen, UCL Quantum sensors for space science – Ravi Desai, University of Warwick Past and future US-UK collaborations from the UK Astronomy Technology Centre – Christophe Dumas PICO (Probe of Inflation and Cosmic Origins): A Pathway to US-UK Collaboration in Space-Based CMB Polarization Science – Anika Patel, Caltech Communications for the Intuitive Machines' IM-1 Lunar Landing – Matthew Cosby, Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd (.pdf slides) (.pdf slides) (.pdf slides) (.pdf slides) (.pdf slides) (.pdf slides) (.pdf slides) (.pdf slides) (.pdf slides) (.pdf slides) (.pdf slides) |
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| 5:20 – 5:30 | Conclusion and Closing Remarks Harriet Brettle – Executive Director, Keck Institute for Space Studies | |
| 5:30 – 6:30 | Networking Reception | Keck Center Courtyard |
