- Government to invest £92 million of Brexit readiness money on
plans for independent satellite system
- 18-month study will look at the design and development of UK
programme
- This will inform the decision to create the system as an
alternative to Galileo
- The UK Space Agency will lead the work with full support from
the Ministry of Defence
The money has been allocated from the £3 billion Brexit readiness
fund announced at last year’s Budget and will be rolled out over
the coming months.
Satellite navigation systems like GPS are increasingly important
for commercial, military and other critical applications, from
guiding aircraft, ships and emergency services to helping
millions of people find their way on car journeys. A recent
government study estimated that sustained disruption to satellite
navigation would cost the UK economy £1 billion per day.
The government has been clear that the UK wants to remain
involved in the Galileo programme, and is negotiating with the
European Commission to this end.
But without the assurance that UK industry can collaborate on an
equal basis now and in the future, and without access to the
necessary security-related information to rely on Galileo for
military functions such as missile guidance, the UK would be
obliged to end its participation in the project.
The UK Space Agency is leading this phase of the work to look at
options for a British Global Navigation Satellite System, which
would fully meet UK security requirements and support the UK’s
sovereign space and cryptography sectors. This significant new
investment will develop specific technical proposals with the
Ministry of Defence playing a full role in support.
The 18-month engineering, design and development project will
deliver a detailed technical assessment and schedule of a UK
global positioning system.
This would provide both civilian and encrypted signals and be
compatible with the US GPS system.
UK industry has been instrumental in developing Galileo
technology and encryption, and this experience will be used in
developing the alternative, with a number of multi-million-pound
contracts available for British space companies.
Business Secretary said:
“Britain is a world leader in the space industry and satellites.
We are investing in an alternative option to Galileo to ensure
our future security needs are met using the UK’s world-leading
space sector.
“Our position on Galileo has been consistent and clear. We have
repeatedly highlighted the specialist expertise we bring to the
project and the risks in time delays and cost increases that the
European Commission is taking by excluding UK industry.
“Britain has the skills, expertise and commitment to create our
own sovereign satellite system and I am determined that we take
full advantage of the opportunities this brings, backed by our
modern Industrial Strategy.”
Defence Secretary said:
“The danger space poses as a new front for warfare is one of my
personal priorities, and it is absolutely right that we waste no
time in going it alone if we need an independent satellite system
to combat those emerging threats. This alternative system and the
UK’s very first Defence Space Strategy which I will launch later
this year will be a further boost to military skills, our
innovative businesses and our genuinely world-leading role which
has seen us make such a key contribution to Galileo.”
Dr Graham Turnock, CEO of UK Space Agency said:
“We remain confident in the strength of our space sector and look
forward to working in partnership with them on the exciting
prospect of a national satellite navigation system.”
Even if the decision was taken not to create a UK independent
satellite system and the UK remained a full member of Galileo
post-Brexit, this work would support UK jobs and expertise in
areas including spacecraft and antenna design, satellite control
systems, cryptography and cyber security. It will also support
the UK’s growing space sector.
Growing space sector
Britain’s space industry is going from strength to strength. Last
week (22 August) the European Space Agency’s (ESA) revolutionary
British-built wind measuring spacecraft Aeolus was launched. The
spacecraft was built by Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage and
other British businesses provided critical elements to the
mission, including a camera, software and propulsion systems.
At the Farnborough International Airshow in July, the government
committed £31.5m to support the development of a spaceport in
Sutherland in Scotland and commercial operations from the site,
which could be the first in Europe and will see rockets lift off
from UK soil.
Horizontal launch sites also have significant potential in a
future UK spaceflight market, which could attract companies from
all over the world to invest in Britain. Sites such as Newquay,
Glasgow Prestwick and Snowdonia will be boosted by an additional
£2m fund to grow their sub-orbital flight, satellite launch and
spaceplane ambitions.
Low cost access to space is important for the UK’s thriving space
sector which builds more small satellites than any other country,
with Glasgow building more than any other city in Europe.
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 £99m National Space Test Facility at
Harwell, and the UK continues to be a leading member of ESA,
which is independent of the EU.
