News

Why NASA’s new race to the moon is partly powered by Wales

Published

3 months ago

January 17, 2026

SPECIAL REPORT – How latest lunar plans are a truly an international effort

THE SPACE RACE is back — but forget Apollo’s flag-planting sprint. NASA’s Artemis programme is a marathon of supply chains, standards and long-term presence. As NASA’s massive Artemis II rocket slowly rolls out to the launch pad today (Sunday) this isn’t just about who plants a flag first. It’s about who builds the infrastructure, sets the rules, and sustains influence in the next era of lunar exploration and beyond.

***Move teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, position the massive rocket stage for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket (Pic: NASA)***

On the surface, Artemis looks like an American show: a Florida launchpad, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, an Orion spacecraft. But peel back the layers and it becomes obvious this is a genuine coalition effort — one where the United Kingdom, and increasingly Wales, has a meaningful supporting role in the rules, the hardware and the industrial backbone that will define deep-space missions for decades.

***New space race: NASA says it w*****ants to land on the moon in 2028 (Pic: NASA)**

***Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. (Pic: NASA/James Blair***)

The UK is not a passenger

Britain isn’t supplying the giant rocket, running the launch, or leading the programme overall. Yet the UK is embedded in Artemis through three critical dimensions: diplomatic frameworks, essential hardware and specialist capability.

First, the UK signed the Artemis Accords in October 2020. That sounds like paperwork, but it matters. In a future of frequent missions, lunar bases and commercial activity, the real competition will be over behaviour, interoperability and trust: who shares data, who can work safely together, and who helps shape the norms that govern activity beyond Earth. The Accords are the scaffolding for all of that — and signing them puts Britain inside the tent as the rules of the next space era are written.

***ESA is negotiating contracts for new European Service Modules for NASA’s Orion crew-transport vehicle, as a contribution to the Gateway and Artemis programs. (Pic: Airbus***)

Second, the most tangible proof that Artemis is international is bolted directly to the spacecraft. Orion relies on a European Service Module delivered through the European Space Agency, with Airbus as prime contractor. This module isn’t a decorative “European contribution”. It provides the unglamorous essentials that make the mission possible: electricity, propulsion, thermal control, and key life-support resources such as air and water. Without it, the spacecraft cannot operate as intended.

Third, that European contribution draws on a distributed industrial chain — the modern reality of spaceflight. The UK’s space sector matters because it is strong in the behind-the-scenes work: high-reliability engineering, advanced electronics, precision materials, software and testing. These are not headline-grabbing roles, but they are the difference between a mission concept and a mission that flies.

So where does Wales fit?

To be clear and honest about scale: Wales isn’t designing the SLS rocket, selecting the crew, or dictating mission timelines. But Wales is demonstrating real relevance in the technologies the long-duration exploration economy will depend on — and that is what “powered by Wales” should mean.

Cardiff-based Space Forge is the standout example. At the end of 2025, the company successfully generated plasma aboard its ForgeStar-1 satellite — describing it as a world-first capability for commercial orbital semiconductor manufacturing. In plain English, it showed that the extreme conditions needed for processes like gas-phase crystal growth can be created and controlled autonomously in low Earth orbit.

***This prototype satellite can make a new generation of raw materials for super-efficient semiconductor chips (Pic: SKY)***

Why does that matter to a Moon programme? Because better semiconductor materials and tougher high-performance components can mean more efficient power systems, more resilient communications, and hardware that survives harsh environments for longer. These are the incremental gains that ripple through satellites today and, in time, through the systems needed for sustained lunar operations tomorrow.

This is not isolated innovation, either. Wales is building the kind of ecosystem that turns a clever demonstration into a supply-chain advantage. The Wales Space Cluster Catalyst Fund — backed by the UK Space Agency in partnership with Space Wales and the Welsh Government — is designed to unlock opportunities for Welsh businesses and researchers, building skills and collaboration across the sector.

In the new space race, that ecosystem-building is not window dressing. It is how places secure a future share of contracts and talent. You do not have to own the rocket to benefit from the industry — but you do have to be ready when primes and agencies decide who they trust to deliver.

Why the international angle matters — especially for Wales

The new Moon race isn’t just prestige. It is strategic: presence, influence, and economic leverage in a domain where China is advancing its own lunar ambitions and partnerships. America’s answer is not isolation, but alliance — spreading cost and risk, and building legitimacy through international cooperation.

For the UK, Artemis offers leverage: a voice in standards, industrial participation through ESA-linked hardware, and the technology spillovers that come with serious programmes. For Wales, the opportunity is more specific: to become known for specialist capability — in advanced manufacturing, materials, electronics, and the research-to-industry pipeline that turns prototypes into products.

The real prize isn’t the first set of footprints. It is the long tail: sustained supply-chain roles, industrial growth and well-paid skilled jobs.

This isn’t about waving a flag at a distant launch. It is about doing what Wales has always done best: building clever, reliable things the world increasingly needs — and making sure Wales is on the supply lists when lunar exploration stops being a spectacle and becomes routine.

Community

Fire leaves Letterston families homeless after homes destroyed

Published

4 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Two houses lost and a third badly smoke-damaged as villagers rally to support those affected

THREE families have been forced from their homes after a major fire tore through a terrace in Letterston, destroying two properties and leaving a third badly affected by smoke.

The blaze broke out at around 4:00pm on Wednesday (Apr 15), prompting a major emergency response from fire crews across west Wales.

Appliances were sent from Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, St Davids, Narberth, Carmarthen and Tumble as firefighters worked for hours to bring the incident under control.

Residents nearby said they first noticed what looked like a dark haze outside before realising smoke was pouring from the row of houses. As the seriousness of the situation became clear, people in neighbouring homes were told to get out.

Witnesses described seeing flames race through the roof spaces of the terrace, while windy conditions made the fire harder to contain. There were also reports of loud bangs as the blaze spread close to overhead power lines.

Fire crews remained at the scene into the evening, supported by utility workers dealing with the electricity supply. Some nearby homes were left without power until late that night.

By the time the fire was out, two houses had been completely gutted. A third remained standing but was left uninhabitable because of heavy smoke contamination inside.

Among those affected was a young family with a three-month-old baby. Although their house was not destroyed structurally, smoke damage is understood to have ruined furniture, clothing and other possessions, including items for the child.

All three households have since moved in with relatives or friends while they deal with the aftermath.

Despite the scale of the incident, nobody was injured.

The fire has shocked the village, but local people have quickly stepped in to offer help, with fundraising appeals launched to support those who have lost their homes and belongings.

How to help

Fundraising appeals can be found at:

gofundme.com/f/help-young-family-return-home-after-smoke-damage

gofundme.com/f/friends-house-destroyed-by-fire-f24y5

gofundme.com/f/the-families-effected-by-the-fire

Crime

Man cleared after prosecution offers no evidence at Crown Court

Published

4 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Court Reporter

Swansea Crown Court entered formal not guilty verdicts on all counts, bringing the case to an end

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been cleared after the prosecution offered no evidence against him at Swansea Crown Court.

Luke Phillips, 23, of Woodlands Park, Haverfordwest, had previously faced charges relating to indecent images of children and extreme pornography.

The case came before His Honour Judge Thomas KC on Monday (Apr 13).

When the matter was called on, the prosecution offered no evidence on all counts.

Formal not guilty verdicts were then entered on each count, bringing the proceedings to an end.

Phillips was represented by barrister Ian Ibrahim.

The outcome means there is no further action to be taken in relation to the case.

It is understood that property seized during the investigation can now be returned following the conclusion of the proceedings.

Community

Pembrokeshire among worst-hit areas as accidental deaths rise

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE and Carmarthenshire have been named among the worst-affected areas in England and Wales for accidental deaths, according to new figures from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Newly-published data shows Pembrokeshire recorded an accidental death rate of 55.18 per 100,000 people in 2023, with Carmarthenshire close behind on 55.15. Both figures are rounded to 55 and place the two west Wales counties in the top 10 highest local authority areas across England and Wales.

Pembrokeshire ranked eighth on the list, while Carmarthenshire was ninth.

The figures form part of RoSPA’s latest Annual Review of Accidents, which warns that preventable deaths and injuries are continuing to rise across the UK.

Wales as a whole recorded an accidental death rate of 44.25 per 100,000 people in 2023, far above the UK-wide figure of 33.97. Only Scotland recorded a higher national rate.

The report paints a worrying picture for Wales, where RoSPA says accidental deaths have risen by 43 per cent over the past decade and now claim more than 1,200 lives a year.

Falls remain the biggest single cause of accidental death. In Wales, 733 people died in falls in 2023, up from 560 the previous year. That equates to a fatal falls rate of 23.15 per 100,000 people across the country.

The local breakdown suggests falls are also a major factor in west Wales. Pembrokeshire recorded a falls death rate of 28.79 per 100,000, while Carmarthenshire stood at 27.31. Carmarthenshire also had a notably higher accidental poisoning death rate than Pembrokeshire.

Across the whole of the UK, RoSPA estimates around 23,000 people died in accidents in 2023, while almost 900,000 people were admitted to hospital because of accidental injuries in 2023–24.

Becky Hickman, chief executive of RoSPA, said too many families were suffering life-changing loss from incidents that could often have been prevented.

She said: “Accidents devastate lives in an instant.

“They are often sudden, violent, and shocking, leaving families and communities to cope with consequences that can last a lifetime.

“What makes this devastation even harder to bear is the knowledge that so many of these incidents are entirely preventable.”

RoSPA has called for stronger action from governments across the UK, including a national strategy to reduce accidental deaths and serious injuries.

Ahead of the 2026 Senedd election, the charity has also launched its Stronger, Safer Wales campaign, urging the next Welsh Government to treat accident prevention as a major public health priority.

The charity says the risks in Wales are particularly acute in areas such as falls, accidental poisonings, rural roads, machinery-related incidents and water safety.

Ms Hickman said: “Our Annual Review of Accidents shows we are still not doing enough to reduce avoidable harm, life-changing injuries and personal tragedies.

“From our roads to our workplaces, the homes we live in to where we spend our leisure time, people in Britain are at increasing and unacceptable risk of suffering a serious accident.”