At Long Last!
Dec. 10th, 2009 09:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fiat_knoxBritain to get its own space agency
Britain is to get its own dedicated space agency, Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson has announced.
The body will take overall responsibility for UK space activities, replacing the soon-to-be defunct
Currently, British space policy is handled by a loose partnership of Government departments and research councils.
The new agency, which is yet to be named, will bring them all together under "one roof" and allow for a more strategic approach to space.
The move follows a 12-week public consultation on how to fund and organise the civil space sector.
Germany, France and Italy all have national space agencies that speak with single voices and are supported by single budgets. In contrast, the UK has until now devolved space decisions to a club of "users" facilitated by the
Lord Drayson, who has strongly supported the idea of a British space agency, said: "Our space sector hasn't missed a beat during this recession. This is the classic story of outstanding UK science and entrepreneurship continuing to create jobs and achieve exceptional growth. "
He made the announcement while addressing the Rutherford Appleton Space Conference in Didcot, Oxfordshire. The new agency will bring together six Government departments, two research councils, the Technology Strategy Board and the Met Office.
Space has been one of the UK's unsung economic success stories in recent years.
The UK space and satellite sector has grown in real terms by around 9% a year since 1999/2000 - more than three times faster than the economy as a whole. It currently contributes £6.5 billion a year to the UK economy and supports 68,000 jobs. In terms of global space science, Britain is second only to the US.
Oh, if only Nigel Kneale had lived to have seen this ...
