UK Ambassador Dame and U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for International Security and
Non-proliferation, Christopher Ford, signed the US-UK
Technology Safeguards Agreement, which will enable U.S.
companies to participate in space launches from the United
Kingdom, on Tuesday 16 June 2020.
The Agreement means US space and technology companies
throughout the supply chain can contribute to and benefit
from the commercial opportunities offered by the UK space
sector which already employs 42,000 people and generates an
income of £14.8 billion each year.
Science Minister said:
This deal with the US takes us one step closer to seeing
the first ever launch into space from British soil.
This is a key moment for our commercial space industry,
and I look forward to seeing companies from Scotland to
Newquay benefiting, and the creation of highly skilled
jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.
, UK Ambassador to
the US said:
This agreement marks an exciting new area for UK-US space
collaboration and represents a significant step towards
US companies launching from UK spaceports.
The commercial space sector already represents hundreds
of millions of dollars in trade between our two countries
each year, as well as thousands of jobs on both sides of
the Atlantic. This new agreement will generate further
growth and prosperity for both our countries.
The UK Government has already awarded grants totalling
nearly £40 million to establish commercial vertical and
horizontal small satellite launch from UK spaceports and
put in place the necessary regulation to enable the first
launches to take place in the early 2020s.
The UK Government’s Spaceflight Programme aims to establish
commercial vertical and horizontal small satellite launch
from UK spaceports. Bringing launch to the UK will be a
catalyst for growth in the wider space industry, and the
government is also developing a comprehensive national
space strategy to bring long-term strategic and commercial
benefits for the UK.
