The UK has launched its first space agency, the £40m ($60.1m) International Space Innovation Centre (ISIC) at Harwell, Oxfordshire, to further government plans to support the nation’s space sector.
UK Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson said that the UK Space Agency would give the sector the muscle needed to fulfil its ambition.
UK Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said that the £6bn space industry was one of the Britain’s real success stories.
“This is exactly the kind of high-value-added industry we need to support as we rebalance our economy,” Mandelson said.
The agency will bring together all UK civil space activities under a single management, develop a national space technology strategy and aid the space sector deliver its potential.
Other services the ISIC will provide will include supplying observations needed for UK climate monitoring, and creating an expert panel to identify emerging space capabilities for national security and defence planning.
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By GlobalDataThe agency will also work with the industry to set out how space-enabled services can help deliver next-generation broadband.
The UK Space Agency will take over responsibility for BIS policy and key government budgets for space.
