The UK Space Agency, which took responsibility for the UK’s civilian space activities on 1 April, has signed collaboration agreements with NASA and the Russian Federal Space Bureau.
In his first major speech on space, universities and science minister David Willetts told the Farnborough Airshow that the agreement between NASA and the UK agency would include a commitment to look for areas where they can work together, such as in space exploration and Earth sciences.
The deal with Russia will eventually address customs and tax issues, said Willetts – solutions to which will likely pave the way for greater involvement of UK companies in Russian space projects. Collaboration with Russia is likely to take on new importance next year when NASA’s shuttle fleet retires and Russian craft become the main way to reach the International Space Station.
“These agreements show our international partners view Britain as a major player in the space industry,” said Willetts in a statement. “They will help bring new opportunities for British innovators.”
The minister also announced that the Science and Technology Facilities Council has awarded a £4.9 million contract to space company Astrid to build the Earth Observation Hub at the International Space Innovation Centre at Harwell in Oxfordshire.
Astrid will lead a consortium developing the centre, which will eventually run satellite operations and process data from future space missions. The hub will be amongst the first in Europe to actively encourage direct collaboration between government, industry and academics, says BIS.
“The Earth Observation Hub will help UK scientists make the most of the wealth of information we are collecting about our home planet, in vital areas such as monitoring the effects of climate change or so we can respond quickly to natural disasters throughout the world,” said Willetts. “It’s the important first step in making the International Space Innovation Centre a reality, linking regional space capabilities and promoting knowledge-sharing between academia and industry.”
The science minister also used the speech to announce a one-year pilot programme to design and launch a shoebox-size satellite. UKube1 will allow the UK to test new equipment and carry out research in a relatively cheap way, says the UK Space Agency. Companies and academic groups will be able to compete to come up with best idea’s for the payload of the UK’s first “CubeSat”.
Link: www.ukspaceagency.bis.gov.uk