Ups and downs for UK space industry
The UK space industry has had mixed luck over the last few months. Things began well on 29 June, when the Highland Council approved the building of a spaceport in Sutherland.
The plans will now go through an environmental survey and a Scottish government review.
Then on 1 July, UK companies lost out on contracts to build satellites for ESA’s Copernicus Earth-monitoring system, as these are only open to EU member states. The UK is currently negotiating how it will take part in the future.
And on 3 July, the UK Government announced it was joining with Indian company Bharti Global to acquire British satellite company OneWeb. The new investment will enable OneWeb’s goal of creating a constellation of over 600 communication satellites, and also explore its potential use as a navigation system.
“The deal presents the opportunity to further develop our strong advanced manufacturing base right here in the UK,” said Business Secratary Alok Sharma. bit.ly/2OXFOP5