The British government has officially launched the new UK Space Agency (UKSA), which comes into being on April 1.
UKSA will be responsible for the entirety of the UK’s space policy and budget, which had previously been spread out among a series of…
The British government has officially launched the new UK Space Agency (UKSA), which comes into being on April 1.
UKSA will be responsible for the entirety of the UK’s space policy and budget, which had previously been spread out among a series of government departments and funding councils. The agency will also represent Britain’s space interests abroad.
At the launch, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said: “This will have the muscle needed to co-ordinate space policy and boost our international standing. It will bring together all UK civil space activities under one single management and give the sector the support it needs.”
The government announced the launch amongst a raft of initiatives on space that included the provision of £24m towards the construction of a new International Space Innovation Centre (ISIC) in Harwell, Oxfordshire. The other £16m required to finish the facility will come from industry sources.
Government direction on the space industry has been strongly influenced by the Space Innovation and Growth Strategy (SGIS) report published in February. The SGIS document contained a number of proposals aimed at raising Britain’s share of the global space industry from 6% to 10% by 2030. In the process, this would create 100,000 new jobs and a domestic industry worth £40bn per year.
Unfortunately, one of the major components of this strategy was a recommendation that the government double investment in the industry to £550m per year over the next decade. This was rejected by the government on the grounds that it cannot make such commitments in the current economic climate, as Britain struggles to deal with its high deficit levels.
The government did pledge to address other SGIS proposals, including the development of a National Space Technology Strategy. It will also further explore the industry’s role in delivering high speed broadband services.
