Three European space programmes have received a $36 million investment from the UK Government, with pledges that the country will now develop a closer relationship with the European Space Agency (ESA).
John Battle, the UK's science, engineering and industry minister, says that the latest investment aims to help "position the British space industry to share in a multi-billion dollar information market". The programmes receiving funding are the space element of the advanced research in telecommunications systems; data from the European Remote Sensing ERS 2 satellite; and the Earth Observation Preparatory Programme.
The investment is not an increase in the UK's space budget but "a change in priorities", according to Battle.
Source: Flight International