The UK Government has confirmed today it is developing options
for a British Global Navigation Satellite System.
Led by the UK Space Agency, a taskforce of Government specialists
and industry will work quickly to develop options that will
provide both civilian and encrypted signals and be compatible
with the GPS system.
The UK is already a world-leader in developing satellite
technology, building 40 per cent of the world’s small satellites
and one in four commercial telecommunications satellites.
UK companies have made a critical contribution to the EU Galileo
programme, building the payloads for the satellites and
developing security systems. The taskforce will draw on this
experience and expertise as it develops plans for an innovative
system that could deliver on the UK’s security needs and provide
commercial services.
Business Secretary said:
This taskforce will develop options for an independent
satellite navigation system using the world-beating expertise
of Britain’s thriving space sector. We have made our position
clear to the European Commission and highlighted the importance
of the UK to the Galileo programme.
It is now right that we explore alternative options to ensure
our security needs are met as we continue to take full
advantage of the opportunities that exist in the global space
sector, through our modern Industrial Strategy.
Dr Graham Turnock, CEO of UK Space Agency said:
As the Government has made clear, we should begin work now on
options for a national alternative to Galileo to guarantee our
satellite positioning, navigation and timing needs are met in
the future. The UK Space Agency is well placed to lead this
work and will use a wide-range of expertise from across the
space, engineering and security sectors.
The UK will be able to use Galileo’s open signal in the future,
and British Armed Forces and emergency services were due to have
access to the encrypted system when it is fully operational.
The Government has been clear there is a mutual benefit to the UK
remaining involved in Galileo and is working hard to deliver
this. Without the assurance that UK industry can collaborate on
an equal basis and without continued access to the necessary
security-related information, the UK could be obliged to end its
participation in the project.
The Business Secretary wrote to the Commission last
month expressing concern about its intention to exclude the UK
from the secure elements of Galileo. The UK Space Agency has been
engaging regularly with the UK companies involved and will now
lead the work to develop potential alternative options.
The recent Blackett review estimated that a failure of navigation
satellite service could cost the UK economy £1 billion a day.
Resilient and secure position, navigation and timing information
is increasingly essential for defence, critical national
infrastructure and emergency response.
The UK Space Agency is driving the growth of the space sector as
part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy with major
initiatives including the National Space Test Facility at
Harwell, and the UK continues to be a leading member of the
European Space Agency, which is independent of the EU.
New figures released today by the ADS Group trade body show that
in 2017 the UK space industry was worth around £15 billion a year
in turnover, with exports of £5.4 billion and 71 percent growth
since 2012.
