Edinburgh, 29 September 2021. – The British Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Ministry of Defence, and the UK Space Agency announced the launch of a National Space Strategy.
The plan is to make the UK a world class space nation by giving a boost to its space industry.
Space is worth over £16 billion per year to the UK economy, the ministry said. The strategy will enable British space businesses to innovate and grow by unlocking private finance, while also moving international space research forward. It brings together civil and defence space activities for an integrated approach to combat cyber-attacks, anti-satellite missiles, and protect UK interests.
The UK already has over 45,000 people working in the space sector in highly skilled jobs, from space scientists and researchers to engineers and manufacturers. The strategy will capitalise the UK’s strengths including satellite manufacturing and communications, while working on high-growth areas, such as satellite broadband operations.
The strategy supports the development of spaceports across the country and is aiming to make UK spaceflight a reality. According to the strategy’s Ten Point Plan, the country will use space technology to improve public services and the transport system. The country will continue to work with the European Space Agency (ESA) – of which it is member and for which it hosts major operations and research centers – and with the UN to tackle challenges like space debris removal and climate change.
