A new space age for
Britain beckons as BIS launches consultation on the creation of a
British Space Agency
In the week the
whole world celebrates the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon
landings in 1969, the Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills is beginning a consultation which aims to thrust the UK
space sector forward for the next 40 years and beyond.
Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation, will formally
kick off the consultation at the London launch of a new European
Space Agency (ESA) facility at Harwell, on Wednesday 22 July. The
consultation will seek views on whether the current organisation
which oversees space in the UK, the British National Space Centre
(BNSC), is the best funding structure to meet the challenges of
the future and deliver the greatest benefit to the country.
The BNSC has helped the UK to build a hugely successful sector
which is second only to the USA in space science, contributes
£6.5bn a year to the UK economy and supports 68,000 jobs.
However, as the world becomes increasingly dependent on advances
in space science and in order to safeguard the UK’s “critical
mass” of skills and expertise, today’s consultation is seeking
views on the appetite for a single agency to better co-ordinate
the UK’s civil space strategy.
The Minister for Science and Innovation, Lord Drayson said:
“Space is so important to our future. The UK space industry
has thrived under the BNSC, but the Apollo 11 anniversary
demonstrates the need for ambition, purpose and a clear sense of
commitment.
“We now have to look ahead to the next 40 years. I want this
consultation to be inspired and influenced by this idea. So we can
provide the best support to our world-leading space sector. So it
can continue to flourish and when the economic growth takes hold,
make an even bigger impact on the UK economy and our lives.”
A thriving space sector will play an important role in building
Britain’s future and the recession busting trends of the space
industry is a testament to the nature of business that will
generate the jobs of the future.
Space is a key part of the global communications network, driving
globalisation and providing new business opportunities. The UK’s
leading satellite infrastructure will also support sustainable
development, help protect our oceans and fisheries, and allow us
to predict and help when natural disasters strike throughout the
world.
Britons benefit from space technology every day – often without
realising it.
Some advances are obvious, such as satellite communications,
television broadcasting. Mobile networks and accurate GPS
equipment in cars. Others are more obscure, such as timing
networks underpinning telephone and power grids.
Space applications can provide solutions for developing policy
and providing services, for example, the Digital Britain
initiative which will use satellites to achieve its goal of total
UK broadband coverage by 2012.
The 12-week consultation is starting on the day the European
Space Agency (ESA) lands in Harwell, Oxfordshire – opening its
first facility in the UK. To participate go to www.BNSC.gov.uk from Wednesday
afternoon for further information.
The ESA facility will focus on three areas – adapting space data
and images to create new everyday applications; climate change
modelling that uses space data; and developing technologies such
as novel power sources and innovative robotics which could be used
to explore the Moon and Mars.
Through the new ESA facility and the International Space
Innovation Centre which will be created in Harwell, the UK will
maximise its world-leading strengths in these areas and enable our
space industry to win a larger share of the global market in space
systems, services and applications.
The Government also recently announced the Space Innovation and
Growth Team which offers a huge opportunity for the government to
work alongside industry to define a clear plan – a 20 year vision
– and come up with a strategy for the future growth of the UK
space industry.
The Minister for Science and Innovation, Lord Drayson, added:
“Britain is undergoing a space renaissance. We must build on this
to strengthen our outstandingly successful space programme. I hope
this consultation will help us establish the infrastructure we
need to take UK space into a new age.”
Notes to Editors
BIS Press Office – Rachel Clarke 18002 020 7215 5945 (this is a
text-direct telephone; please dial the number in full).
1. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) will
promote open and competitive markets, proportionate regulation, an
enterprise and innovation culture, skilled people, thriving
universities, life-long learning and world-class science,
technology and research.
2. The BIS consultation on the establishment of a UK Space Agency
will be formally launched tomorrow (22 July 2009) and will run for
12 weeks. It is likely to be of particular interest to members of
(i) the UK space industry; (ii) UK space-related academia and
users of space applications; and (iii) the UK public with an
interest in UK space policy.
3. The British National Space Centre (BNSC) is a cross
governmental organisation that co-ordinates UK civil space
activities and brings together representatives from Government,
science, industry and education to promote advances in space
technology and science. BNSC also supports efforts to use space
within the teaching of maths, engineering and science to inspire
young people.
BNSC is a partnership of six Government departments, two research
councils, the Technology Board and the Met Office. The partner
organisations are BIS, STFC, NERC, TSB, MoD, Met Office, Defra,
Dft, DCSF and FCO. www.bnsc.org.uk
4. The European Space Agency (ESA) is a research and development
(R&D) agency working on behalf of its 18 member states and
1 associate member. The agency often conducts its work via
procurement, procuring R&D activities from industry. There
are 18 member states and 1 associate member. These are: Austria,
Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland,
Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, UK, Canada (associate member) and the Czech Republic
(joined November 2008). Member states choose to fund space
projects through ESA because collectively they can fund grander
projects than they could support individually.
The ESA facility at Harwell will initially comprise a small
number of staff to be located in existing buildings. As the
facility grows, additional specialised facilities may be built and
included in the overall International Space Innovation Centre. ESA
has appointed Martin Ditter to manage the project. The first
projects are being defined by ESA to start later this year.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Rachel Clarke
Phone: 18220 020 7215 5945 - text direct
phone
Mobile: This is a text direct phone- please dial in fill
Rachel.Clarke@bis.gsi.gov.uk