Today the government have published the draft Spaceflight Bill which will enable spaceflight from the UK by 2020. This announcement comes as the government launched a £10 million scheme to incentivise the commercial spaceflight market.
The government’s announcements are positive news for UK businesses to enter a brave new world of innovation and new technologies especially for the UK Space Sector which has trebled in size since 2000, has a £11bn turnover and directly employs 34,000 people.
The government’s recent announcement of a modern Industrial Strategy showed a plan for driving growth and skills across the country to increase productivity and boost the UK economy and it is encouraging to see a partnership of industry and government to allow growth for the UK Space Sector.
Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson said:
Spaceflight offers the UK the opportunity to build on our strengths in science, research and innovation. It provides opportunities to expand into new markets, creating highly-skilled jobs and boosting local economies across the country. That is why it is one of the key pillars of our Industrial Strategy.
We want to see the UK space sector flourish, that is why we are laying the groundwork needed for business to be able to access this lucrative global market worth an estimated £25 billion over the next 20 years. The call for proposals I announced today, together with a new, dedicated Spaceflight Bill, will help make our space ambitions a reality.
The Draft Spaceflight Bill has shown that the UK’s future in space is bright and that the UK Space sector will continue to grow in strength and contribute to the UK’s global competitiveness. To read more about the legislation please click here.
