UK Space minister Lord Sainsbury comes to Farnborough today in the wake of heavy criticism of his area of responsiblity from the House of Commons Trade and Industry Select Committee.
The committee has warned that the UK risks being left behind in the commercial space industry due to lack of government ambition and the declining quality of engineering and science graduates. This decline in academic calibre makes the space industry particularly vulnerable, the committee says. Fresh blood will be needed in the space industry and the government must encourage young people to take an interest in space, the report says.
Sainsbury, the Undersecretary of State for Science at the Department of Trade and Industry will be briefing observers tomorrow together with Antonio Rodota, the European Space Agency's (ESA) director general, and is expected to reply to the Commons report. An increase in the space budget, however, is unlikely.
The UK's $200 million space spending is falling in real terms and political interest should be increased and be matched by funds, says the Commons committee, calling on the government to "announce something beyond a modest continuation of existing programmes... on a less cautious basis".
The space budget has been remained static in real terms over the last five years and two-thirds of this goes into ESA, with the balance supporting national activities through universities, research centres and companies.
The UK's major participation in ESA programmes is mainly in Earth observation and science programmes, the country having no interest in being saddled with manned spaceflight and the long-running saga of the International Space Station (ISS) and on this score this policy has some admirers, given the recent delays to the ISS.
The UK is also criticised for its lack of leadership in the new European GNSS global navigation satellite system and its failure to create a commercially sustainable Earth observation policy, says the committee. The role, status and organisation of the British National Space Centre (BNSC) also needs to be reviewed, it says.
Source: Flight Daily News
