Thu, 24 Jul 2025 We were delighted to welcome Zöe Franklin, Member of Parliament for Guildford, to Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) this week as part of our ongoing 40th anniversary celebrations. The visit was an opportunity to showcase the innovative work taking place at our Guildford headquarters and share with her the breadth of our satellite missions currently in development.



Zöe joined our weekly “Family Meeting,” where she addressed SSTL staff and reflected on her own journey to Westminster. In conversation with our Managing Director, Andrew Cawthorne, she spoke candidly about her first 12 months in Parliament, her priorities for Guildford, and her perspectives on the future of the UK’s space sector. This was followed by an open Q&A with employees, allowing a wide-ranging discussion that touched on Government policy on space and science investment, our relationship with Europe and the ability of skilled foreign nationals to come and work in the UK, and the importance of local industry.



Following the session, Zöe toured our satellite assembly cleanroom alongside Sir Martin Sweeting, SSTL’s Chairman and founder, and Andrew Cawthorne. During the tour she saw firsthand the diversity of missions currently under construction, from Earth observation to communications and science satellites. The visit also provided an opportunity to meet with Anthony Baker, CEO of our customer SatelliteVu, whose next two HotSat thermal imaging satellites are currently being built at SSTL.



Zöe’s visit highlighted the strong connection between SSTL, the Guildford community, and the wider UK space sector as we continue to innovate and inspire in our 40th year.