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U.K. Releases National Space Policy
“As Britain’s first European Space Agency astronaut prepares for his historic launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on 15 December, the Government is publishing the UK’s first ever National Space Policy – firmly placing the UK on the global stage for future space programmes.
With the UK aiming to become the European hub for commercial spaceflight and related space sector technologies, this new policy sets out the Government’s vision to capture a greater share of the world’s thriving space market. Working across the UK in partnership with the rapidly growing sector, this One Nation policy will see ensure the UK seizes opportunities to deliver new business opportunities, create jobs and push the boundaries of our understanding of space.”

8 replies on “U.K. Releases its First National Space Policy”

    1. Exactly. I found precisely one place in the document where they actually commit to providing money to support anything:

      “Government will also fund a range
      of technology support programmes, spanning
      blue skies research through to near-market
      applications, with differing financial models.”

      Everything else is carefully worded to avoid any promise of actually cracking open their pocket book, with lots of references to industrial-academic partnerships and providing the right legal frameworks, etc.

      While those are certainly valuable, there are lots of instances where things happen only when governments put up the seed money.

      1. I was recently in the U.K. and i can tell you the government has been, in recent years, supportive of the space program, as in with funds. Remember, this is a policy document, not a budget document. The U.K. has come a long way in the last 10 years.

      2. Honestly, I’d be happy if they just gave Skylon a large pile of money to try and get SABRE to work. Well, that and funding the equivalent of a few Discovery Program missions.

  2. Commitment to a space program by Great Britain is quite surprising.

    The country is still recovering from the odious ‘austerity treatment’ for incipient economic slowdown which produced, as many expected, severe recession. The government is yet to admit the error of this wrong thinking.

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