SSTL
welcomes
British
Government's
space
industry
support
Surrey
Satellite
Technology
Ltd
(SSTL)
welcomes
the
British
Government's
response
to
Lord
Drayson's
Space
Innovation
and
Growth
Strategy
report.
This
morning,
Lord
Mandelson,
Secretary
of
State
for
Business,
Innovation
>
and
Skills
announced
a
programme
of
support
that
included
the
launch
of
the
UK's
first
national
space
agency,
a
small
satellite
programme
to
showcase
state
of
the
art
technologies
to
the
world,
and
the
formation
of
a
working
group
to
give
serious
consideration
to a
dedicated
UK
Earth
observation
system.
Space
in
the
UK
is
an
economic
success
story
with
more
than
10
years
consistent
growth.
In
fact,
the
report
estimated
that
the
UK
space
sector
could
be
worth
£40
billion
by
2030
and
companies
such
as
SSTL
have
proven
their
resilience
achieving
20%
growth
in
the
current
economic
climate.
Space
is a
proven
economic
enabler
-
for
every
pound
spent
on
space
missions,
the
commercial
opportunities
for
Britain's
high
technology,
engineering
and
ICT
sectors
are
considerably
enhanced.
The
Space
Innovation
and
Growth
Strategy
report
identifies
areas
where
targeted
government
support
and
investment
will
help
the
UK
to
increase
its
international
market
share
while
supporting
government
objectives.
Sir
Martin
Sweeting,
Executive
Chairman,
SSTL
commented,
"Today's
announcements
are
an
important
step
for
UK
space
which
both
the
space
sector
and
the
nation
should
celebrate.
Our
space
industry
is
both
technologically
advanced
and
highly
competitive
- we
have
a
successful
track
record
and
the
UK
economy
cannot
afford
to
miss
out
on
this
growing
commercial
market.
Space
is
an
increasing
part
of
our
everyday
lives
and
appropriate
government
support
for
innovation
by
industry
before
it
reaches
commercial
maturity
is
critical
to
ensure
that
the
UK
will
continue
to
change
the
economics
of
space
for
the
benefit
of
the
nation
and
the
tax-payer."
A
new
UK
Space
Agency
will
implement
the
national
space
policy.
The
agency
will
be
resourced
and
empowered
to
maximise
the
growth
of
the
UK
space
industry.
SSTL
is
particularly
pleased
with
the
Government's
announcement
that
under
UK
Space
Agency,
Britain
will
launch
TechDemoSat.
Funded
by
the
government's
Technology
Strategy
Board
(TSB)
with
support
from
the
Regional
development
Agencies
(RDAs),
the
mission
will
demonstrate
the
advanced
capabilities
of
state
of
the
art
small
satellite
technology
for
scientific
and
commercial
applications
-
something
that
SSTL
has
pioneered
over
many
years.
The
need
for
an
indigenous
UK
Earth
observation
(EO)
service
will
be
assessed
by a
new
working
group.
Paul
Brooks,
SSTL's
director
of
Earth
Observation
services
welcomed
the
Government's
announcement:
"A
UK
EO
constellation
would
be a
significant
step
for
the
country
under
the
new
space
agency.
As
well
as
providing
a
valuable
source
of
data
in
areas
of
key
Government
interest
such
as
monitoring
the
environment,
climate
change
and
national
and
international
security,
a
national
system
will
also
support
further
exports
of
space
systems,
a
critical
issue
for
economic
growth
and
maintaining
the
UK's
international
position".
Sir
Martin
Sweeting
added
"Industry
is
ready
to
invest
in
the
future
of
space
for
the
UK -
but
government
needs
also
to
create
the
right
environment
for
it
to
flourish".
talk Satellite welcomes comment -
comment@talksatellite.com
