Second Report - UK space strategy and UK satellite infrastructure

We are disappointed that a launch from the UK has not yet been achieved, especially as we were assured on several occasions that the first horizontal launch would take place in summer 2022. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial … Read more We are disappointed that a launch from the UK has not yet been achieved, especially as we were assured on several occasions that the first horizontal launch would take place in summer 2022. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Transport must prioritise working towards achieving the first launch from UK soil as soon as possible. Show less

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Research has already shown the UK has the potential to be a world leader in the growing in-orbit services and manufacturing (IOSM) market. The Government should seize this opportunity. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and UK Space … Read more Research has already shown the UK has the potential to be a world leader in the growing in-orbit services and manufacturing (IOSM) market. The Government should seize this opportunity. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and UK Space Agency (UKSA) should work with organisations and companies such as the Satellite Applications Catapult and Space Forge who have already set out the steps that the UK needs to take to maintain leadership in this area. UKSA should set out which parts of the Catapult’s proposals it plans to take forward and should set a budget for this work. Show less

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Space-based projects, including fundamental research and development of new and especially wholly novel technologies, generally occur on long timescales and therefore require long-term funding. We were pleased to see the announcement of a three-year budget for the Department for Business, … Read more Space-based projects, including fundamental research and development of new and especially wholly novel technologies, generally occur on long timescales and therefore require long-term funding. We were pleased to see the announcement of a three-year budget for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for 2022–23—2024–25 which should bring some certainty to the sector. The Government should reflect on the consequences of the recent one-year settlements UK space strategy and UK satellite infrastructure 79 on the space sector and provide a commitment to deliver at least three-year budget settlements to facilitate a more strategic approach to the allocation of public support for these technologies of the future. Show less

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The Satellite Applications Catapult has been instrumental in securing the establishment and development of space sector SMEs and driving the growth of Harwell space campus. The Government should provide further support to the Satellite Applications Catapult, which will in turn … Read more The Satellite Applications Catapult has been instrumental in securing the establishment and development of space sector SMEs and driving the growth of Harwell space campus. The Government should provide further support to the Satellite Applications Catapult, which will in turn stimulate the growth and success of space companies. Given that the Government’s levelling up white paper says that “the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will aim to invest at least 55% of its total domestic R&D funding outside the Greater South East by 2024–25”, we would encourage the Government to be even more ambitious. Support for space R&D undertaken outside of Harwell should be in line with the proportion of the UK population living outside of the Greater South East. This would promote the growth of new space clusters and expand the space sector’s reach. (Paragraph 119) International considerations Show less

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Companies often find it difficult to recruit employees with considerable experience, but we think companies are also hesitant to invest money and time into training staff. This is partly due to the short-term nature of grant funding, creating a need … Read more Companies often find it difficult to recruit employees with considerable experience, but we think companies are also hesitant to invest money and time into training staff. This is partly due to the short-term nature of grant funding, creating a need for companies to have immediate access to the correct expertise. Further, space organisations fear that they will lose early career workers through competition with similar sectors, such as the tech sector, which require similar skills but often offer higher salaries. Industry players should move away from requiring applicants to have years of experience and should instead strengthen their early career training programmes, including the use of apprenticeships so that not all applicants require a degree. The Government should make it easier for businesses to do this, by offering multi-year grants which allow companies to plan and offer employees longer contracts. Show less

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We share the space sector’s concern that there has been no announced uplift in public funding for space to accompany the National Space Strategy and support the achievement of its objectives. This is all the more concerning given that the … Read more We share the space sector’s concern that there has been no announced uplift in public funding for space to accompany the National Space Strategy and support the achievement of its objectives. This is all the more concerning given that the UK’s overall investment in space lags behind comparable nations such as France, Germany or Japan. The implementation plan should set out at what level, and how, the Government plans to fund the additional mechanisms and systems inherent in its ambitions for the space sector. Further, the implementation plan should set out what steps the Government will take to enable the sector to leverage increased private investment. Show less

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As the National Space Strategy stressed that civil and defence capabilities would be brought together wherever possible (so called ‘dual use’), more needs to be done to identify where overlapping capabilities can be brought together to exploit synergies and remove … Read more As the National Space Strategy stressed that civil and defence capabilities would be brought together wherever possible (so called ‘dual use’), more needs to be done to identify where overlapping capabilities can be brought together to exploit synergies and remove any unnecessary work and reduce costs. One example of this is considering whether the Skynet system, which is continuing to receive significant public investment, could provide civilian communication services. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Ministry of Defence should map out the civil and defence uses and potential uses of other aspects of space and identify areas where existing and emerging capabilities could safely provide joint value. This work should be published no later than the end of February 2023, including an implementation plan of how civil and defence applications will be linked further over the next 5–10 years. Show less

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We are concerned that the Government seems to be progressing towards plans to use OneWeb’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation to provide PNT services in the future, despite suggestions from experts that there are many technical issues surrounding using LEO satellites for PNT signals. Ambiguity also remains about the …

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Although the technology is at a relatively early stage of development, Space Based Solar Power (SBSP) has the potential to become a useful supply of green energy by 2050, helping the UK to reach its Net Zero goals. We commend the announcement by BEIS of plans to create an innovation …

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If the UK is to address the space skills shortage it is currently facing, then it will need to inspire future generations to take up a career in space. Although the UK Space Agency has programmes in place that are seeking to do this, we believe there is a disconnect …

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We welcome the publication of the National Space Strategy, which provides a good overarching vision for future civil and defence space applications. However, the strategy lacks details on how its broad aims will be achieved and does not specify on which areas the Government will focus its efforts. Additionally, the …

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