The Launch UK conference has been held at the Royal Aeronautical Society, with speeches from Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson, Minister for Aviation Lord Ahmad, and UK Space Agency CEO Katherine Courtney.
The conference was designed to bring together government and the UK commercial space sector, with potential UK spaceports and spaceflight vehicle operators given the chance to meet in order to achieve the ambition of launching satellites from the UK by 2020.
The conference follows on from delivery of the Spaceflight Bill to the House of Commons and the House of Lords, new legislation that will facilitate and regulate commercial spaceflight.
The UK government holds spaceflight as an important part of its industrial strategy. The commercial space market is worth an estimated £25Bn over the next 20 years and the government is seeking to capture a share of this through the development of competitive, commercial and safe spaceflight proposals for UK-based satellite launch services and sub-orbital flights.
In order to support this, grants have been made available through the UK Space Agency to help develop the capability for spaceflight. Consortia are being invited to provide their business cases for funding to develop key technologies or infrastructure in the UK.
Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson said: “We really do stand at the dawn of a very exciting era. This is a big and incredibly exhilarating moment for this country.
“The traditional space sector is changing and the way we access space is changing too, which is why this is a truly important moment for us. It’s vital that we don’t miss the exciting opportunities that are now ahead of us.”
Minister for Aviation Lord Ahmad said: “We are boldly legislating where no British government has legislated before.
“It’s clear we are galvanised and ready to grasp this huge opportunity for our country. We want to move quickly but we also want to get it right too.
“It’s our ambition as a government, as a collective industry, as a country that the UK is the best place in Europe for space flight operations.”
Seven potential regional spaceports gave presentations and a panel of industry experts discussed innovations in commercial spaceflight, looking ahead to 2025, while there was also an opportunity for networking.
Katherine Courtney, CEO UK Space Agency, said: “With our partners across government we continue to create a supportive environment for commercial innovation and cutting edge science.
“Together, we are working to embrace the emerging small satellite launch market to capture a share of the £25bn global opportunity. I’m confident that 2020 will see the first launches from British soil, and we’re working hard to make that a reality.”
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