Establishing a UK Space Agency
The UK Government’s commitment to the establishment of a
dedicated Executive Space Agency, as outlined by
Lord Drayson on 10 December 2009, is long-overdue recognition
of the value and contribution of the UK Space industry.
With the industry currently contributing £6.5bn to the UK
economy, the country’s actual annual investment in Space of £270m –
mostly as a member of the European Space Agency (ESA) – represents
just over 4% of this significant amount.
However, Lord Drayson’s acknowledgement of the UK’s
“world-leading Space industry” and that a “thriving [Space] sector
will be vital in building Britain’s future”, give real impetus to a
sector that has bucked the downward economic trends of the recent
past, but without much recognition.
The future of Space in the UK looks promising despite the very
tough economic situation. A strong Space agency is vital for the UK
to move forward and build upon its strong market share.
Industry, government and the academic sector have been working
together on a dedicated Space Innovation and Growth Team (IGT)
which is due to release its findings in January 2010. The results
of this work will set the scene for the next 20 years, and will be
key to all stakeholders.
One of the facilitators to this broader vision is likely to be
the Harwell International Space Innovation Centre, which is
designed to provide the UK with a strong national base that will
have links to all the major organisations both in industry and
academia. Harwell will facilitate the development of novel services
and applications in key areas such as climate change and security,
and encourage the participation of the SME community, as well as
established Space players in the UK, like VEGA.
Having worked with the European Space Agency for more than 30
years, providing a blend of technological, consulting and managed
solutions, and working on headline programmes like Mars Express,
the Galileo navigation system, and GMES (Global Monitoring for
Environment and Security), VEGA believes Lord Drayson’s
announcement is an excellent boost for the UK’s Space industry. It
provides a clear focus for Space that will clearly raise the
profile of the industry’s success and contribution to the UK, both
from financial and innovation perspectives.
Internal links relating to the UK Space
market
» Market Themes
» Capabilities in Space
» Case Studies in Space
» Press Releases about Space
External links relating to the UK Space
market
» UKspace
» Case4Space
»
Intellect (Satellite Committee)
» Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills
» European Space
Agency