Rishi Sunak has praised a North Yorkshire space technology company after it secured European funding for satellite projects and expanded its work with the European Space Agency.
The MP for Richmond and Northallerton visited AmbaSat at its Garthway Arcade base, meeting chief executive and co-founder Martin Platt and his team.
Mr Sunak said: "We have some brilliant minds working in businesses across North Yorkshire, and AmbaSat is a great example of the talent and innovation we have right on our doorstep.
MP Rishi Sunak visits AmbaSat's Northallerton headquarters, hailing the firm's innovation, growth and opportunities for young engineers (Image: Supplied)
"People might be surprised to learn that a company working at the forefront of space technology is based in the centre of Northallerton, but it shows the exciting range of businesses we have in our area.
"It was fantastic to see how the company has grown since I first met Martin in 2022.
"Securing funding from the European Space Agency is a significant achievement, and it's particularly encouraging to see AmbaSat creating opportunities for local graduates and young engineers to build their careers here in North Yorkshire."
During the visit, Mr Sunak saw demonstrations of AmbaSat’s satellite communications and monitoring technology, including its £250,000 ESA-backed project which uses space technologies, specifically satellite communications, to support hydrogen leak detection.
The company is also developing multi-orbit communications technology to improve connectivity in remote areas.
Mr Platt said: "It was a pleasure to welcome Rishi to AmbaSat and walk him through some of the space technologies we're now developing – from multi-orbit resilient communications and satellite-enabled green hydrogen monitoring to our plans for future satellite missions.
"We now have two significant projects with the European Space Agency and are continuing to build our engineering capability here in North Yorkshire.
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"It was great to be able to share with Rishi what we're building here and some of the opportunities ahead for AmbaSat."
AmbaSat is also working with Newcastle University to explore how artificial intelligence and quantum technologies could be used in future satellites.
The visit showcased AmbaSat’s growing engineering team and new projects with the European Space Agency.