Government wants UK spaceport to take advantage of growing space tourism industry

The UK government is considering developing the necessary legal framework to permit a spaceport to be set up in the UK. They want simpler regulations for new space tourism companies to start operating services in Britain. The government is also increasing its financial help to the industry to £40bn by 2030. The government hopes this will boost national kudos, as space technology requires ultra-high precision engineering, which is a UK strength with a background in defence technology companies.  There are claims of jobs. David Willetts, the Science Minister, said:  “Space industries already support 95,000 full-time jobs and generate £9.1bn for the economy each year.”  The UK Space Agency say: “Our vision is to make the UK the most attractive location for space businesses to set up and prosper.” A suitable site is now being sought for the launch site, which needs to be where there isn’t much civilian airspace, or many people, and near the sea (for safety) – perhaps an under-used or dis-used RAF airfield or a smaller airport, in the West Country, Wales or Scotland. The government wants it operational by 2019 and that Virgin Galactic will fly from it.
.

 

 

Government backs UK launch site plan for space tourism

Pallab GhoshBy Pallab Ghosh,

Science correspondent, BBC News

Spaceplanes art work
Could space planes be launched from the UK one day?

The government has backed plans for a four-fold expansion of the UK space industry to £40bn by 2030.

It is also considering developing the necessary legal framework to permit a spaceport to be set up in the UK.

It is hoped that this might see the growth of new space tourism companies to start operating services in Britain.

There will also be a simplification of regulations and greater coherence to spur the creation of new space firms.

The space sector has the potential to propel UK growth”

David Willetts,

Science Minister

The government made the announcements in response to an industry report published last year called the Space Innovation and Growth Strategy Action Plan.

The industry grew by 7% per annum during the recession. Space technology requires ultra-high precision engineering, which is a UK strength with a background in defence technology companies.

This, coupled with British strength in space science, makes it ideally placed to take advantage of the projected rapid expansion in low-cost satellite launches and space tourism. Space is already a multi-billion-pound industry.

Satellite
UK firms such as Surrey Satellite Technology Limited are at the forefront of space engineering

The science minister has been a supporter of the UK space industry and has fostered closer links with the European Space Agency (Esa).

He was closely involved in negotiating the selection of Esa’s first “official” UK astronaut, Tim Peake.

Major Peake will be going into space next year to conduct experiments on the International Space Station (ISS).

Mr Willetts said that the space sector could “propel” UK growth.

“Space industries already support 95,000 full-time jobs and generate £9.1bn for the economy each year, and our response to the Growth Action Plan shows our commitment to secure its future growth and realise ambitions to develop a viable UK spaceport for commercial space flight,” he explained.

Dr David Parker, chief executive at the UK Space Agency, said that government was working “shoulder-to-shoulder with industry to exploit the full potential of the space sector to grow the economy, deliver more efficient public services and inspire the next generation”.

“At the UK Space Agency, we are particularly focusing on helping the rest of government make best use of the huge increase in real-time data from the Galileo and Sentinel satellites, looking at exciting opportunities such as a UK spaceport, and leading an export drive for UK space products and services.

“Our vision is to make the UK the most attractive location for space businesses to set up and prosper – and I’m convinced we are on our way.”

The chief executive of Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), Dr Matt Perkins, told BBC News that “the space sector has huge potential and I believe the strong government endorsement of this strategy provides a pathway to achieving increased economic benefit for the UK and growth for SSTL.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27222077

.


 

Comment from an AirportWatch subsciber

  1. Suitable site for UK spaceport being sought – perhaps under-used or dis-used RAF airfield /small airport, in West Country, Wales or Scotland .  But the UK is not a suitable location. It needs to be near the Equator to maximise escape velocity.

  2. There is a tiny bit less pull of gravity at the Equator than further towards the poles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_of_Earth …

    Compare the location of Cape Canaveral – just of Orlando in Florida.  Map

    Or the British and European spaceport in French Guiana in South America.  Map

 


.

Related BBC Stories

British spaceport launch within five years

Science Minister David Willetts wants a British spaceport up and running within five to ten years to take advantage of the growing space tourism industry

Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard Branson’s space tourism company, will begin launches from New Mexico in the US

Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard Branson’s space tourism company, will begin launches from New Mexico in the US Photo: VIRGIN GALACTIC

By , Science Correspondent  (Telegraph)

30 Apr 2014

A British spaceport could be launching crafts into space within five years, the science minister has said.

David Willetts announced yesterday that a group of space, defence, business and transport experts has been formed to find a suitable base for the launch site.

The spaceport could be operational as early as 2019 to take advantage of a new era in space tourism, with Mr Willetts saying he hoped Virgin Galactic would take off from the new site.

It will also act as a satellite launch centre.

Although no sites have been earmarked, Mr Willetts said it was unlikely the spaceport would be in south east England.

Previous suggestions have included Wales, the West Country, and Scotland although it would need to be built near a coastal area for safety.

“We want an area where there is not much civil airspace, where it is not very busy,” said Mr Willetts.

“It might be smaller airports, it might be underused or disused RAF airfields.

“We’re starting to look at relatively remote parts of the country.

“We’re rediscovering our great tradition of developing space vehicles and having a spaceport where we can launch will be part of that long term plan.”

Currently Britain has no space launch facilities, even for unmanned rockets. When British astronaut Tim Peake joins the International Space Station next year he will launch from either French Guiana or Kazahkstan.

Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard Branson’s space tourism company, will begin launches from New Mexico in the US, but it is likely the business will want a base in Europe.

Sweden has already declared an interest in making its far northern town of Kiruna into a European spaceport.

The spaceport is also likely to be a base for the Sylon spaceplane being developed by Reaction Engines, a private British company.

The government has already invested £60 million in the company which has designed a revolutionary ‘air-breathing’ rocket engine which uses oxygen from the atmosphere.

Yesterday a cross-Government National Space Flight Coordination Group was set up to gather investment and find a site. It will report its initial findings in July.

The government made the announcements in response to an industry report published last year called Space Innovations and Growth Strategy Action Plan.

It also backed plans for a four-fold expansion of the UK space industry to £40bn by 2030.

There will also be a simplification of regulations and greater coherence to spur the growth of new space firms.

Mr Willetts said that the space sector could “propel” UK growth.

“Space industries already support 95,000 full time jobs and generate £9.1 billion for the economy each year, and our response to the Growth Action Plan shows our commitment to secure its future growth and realise ambitions to develop a viable UK space port for commercial space flight,” he added.

Dr David Parker, chief executive at the UK Space Agency said that government is working “shoulder-to-shoulder with industry to exploit the full potential of the space sector to grow the economy, deliver more efficient public services and inspire the next generation”.

“At the UK Space Agency, we are particularly focusing on helping the rest of government make best use of the huge increase in real-time data from the Galileo and Sentinel satellites, looking at exciting opportunities such as a UK spaceport, and leading an export drive for UK space products and services.

“Our vision is to make the UK the most attractive location for space businesses to set up and prosper – and I’m convinced we are on our way.”

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/10799631/British-spaceport-launch-within-five-years.html 

 


 

  1. Does Britain need its own space port?

Science Minister David Willetts wants to build a launch site for space rockets in Britain within the next tens years – but why does Britain need one?

Virgin Galactic WhiteKnightTwo & SpaceShipTwo

Virgin Galactic WhiteKnightTwo & SpaceShipTwo Photo: VIRGIN ATLANTIC

By Sarah Gallagher

30 Apr 2014  (Telegraph)

The British space industry is booming.

It’s currently worth around £9bn a year, employs nearly 30,000 highly skilled people and has an average yearly growth of 7.5%. It is targeting growth to £19bn by 2020, and is aiming to increase from its current 9% of the global market.

Britain is a major player on the world stage, but because almost all projects require international collaborations to be launched, we often miss the importance of the UK’s role.

Certainly, the UK’s version of NASA – UKSA – doesn’t have anything like the history, having been launched only four years ago. But the new space agency builds on a long tradition of innovation and success, particularly satellites and space robotics.

British technology has been used by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Russian space agency Roskosmos in missions, so UKSA has a strong position globally.

 

Do we need or use space technology in Britain?

Surprisingly enough we are pretty reliant on space technology. It is not just about planet exploration and answering big questions about the universe. It has actually made day-to-day life quite a bit easier.

In particular: weather forecasts and satellite navigation.

The Met Office uses a range of satellite data in its forecasts, not just the nice pictures of cloud movements we like in our weather forecasts.

This data is provided by European satellites, through the snappily-named European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).

The satellite navigation systems that have become ubiquitous in our cars and even our mobile phones all use the American Global Positioning System (GPS).

The system was developed for the military and the satellites are still operated by the US Department of Defense. Russia and China also have their own satellite navigation networks in place.

However, Britain has been working with partners in Europe on our own system, called Galileo. It is expected to be fully operational by 2019 with 14 satellites built jointly by UK satellite company SSTL and Germany’s OHB Systems.

 

We don’t launch rockets into space though, do we?

The UK did launch a satellite using a British rocket – back in 1971. The communications satellite Prospero was launched by the rocket Black Arrow from Woomera in South Australia.

Since then, Britain had a policy of “no launchers and no astronauts, but excellence in small satellites”, as Science Minister David Willetts put it.

The first sign of a change was our investment in the International Space Station and as a result the first British citizen, Major Tim Peakes, will head there in 2015.

And an innovative space plane – heralded as a possible replacement for the space shuttle – is being developed by British company Reaction Engines Ltd.

The revolutionary SKYLON will be able to take off and land like a normal plane thanks to its air-breathing SABRE rocket engine, but it’s still a long way from completion, with test flights tentatively scheduled for 2019.

 

Spaceport America design concepts: terminal hangar (SPACEPORT CONCEPTUAL IMAGES)

What has the UK been sending into space?

Britain leads the way on small satellites and robotics. Free from worries about delivering the technology into orbit, companies have made remarkable advances in areas as diverse as satellite solar panels and planet-exploring robots.

The UKSA, working with ESA, has technology in space researching the Earth’s magnetic field and ice sheets, as well as measuring soil moisture and ocean salinity.

Further afield, we have British built technology on probes orbiting Venus and Mars.

As well as the orbiting probe, the Mars Express of 2003 carried a small landing robot known as Beagle 2 to Mars.

The brainchild of a small group of British academics, the autonomous robot was to search for life on Mars. On this occasion, however, the spacecraft crash landed on the Martian surface.

The ESA has now funded a replacement Mars rover to rival NASA’s Curiosity, and the extensive robotic development has largely taken place in the UK.

The ExoMars rover is currently being tested by its creators Airbus Defence and Space in a ‘Mars yard’ built in Stevenage to recreate the perils of the red planet.

Britain has also enjoyed considerable success with CubeSats – 10cm cube shaped satellites capable of carrying a variety of equipment into orbit.

More than 40% of CubeSats are made by Glasgow-based Clyde Space. The satellites are mostly used to conduct scientific and technological experiments, and the lightweight units are cheap enough to be used by students as well as leading companies.

The company are also behind UKube-1, the first satellite to be fully designed and built in Scotland, which will be launched from Kazakhstan in June.

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has been designing, building and launching satellites for more than 30 years.

They have launched more than 40 that are used for navigation, scientific research, military purposes and earth observation. A spin-off from University of Surrey, SSTL is now the world’s leading small satellite company.

Most people will also now have heard of Immarsat, whose satellites detected the engine pings that narrowed the search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.

Their network of 10 satellites is mostly used to provide satellite phone and data connections in remote areas.

The UK military also has a network of satellites for secure communications, known as Skynet. The system was named long before the Terminator films’ Skynet started trying to exterminate the human race.

 

Does a space port mean more Brits in space?

The British government is likely to remain focused on unmanned missions and robotics, rather than branching into manned flight. Manned flights are expensive and risky, and building on current, world-leading skills is expected to be more successful.

This means that we’re likely to continue seeing relatively few Brits in space.

Seven British citizens have so far made the journey, using either American or Russian launches.

In 1991 Helen Sharman became the first Brit in space, spending nearly 8 days at the Russian Mir space station in a privately funded mission.

Since then, 4 NASA astronauts born in the UK, who had to adopt US citizenship, have flown 14 missions, and two other Brits have been ‘space tourists’.

Major Tim Peake will take the number to 8 when he visits the International Space Station in 2015.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/10799882/Does-Britain-need-its-own-space-port.html

.

.