UK Space Agency
Saleh Ahmed
Assistant Director, UK Space Agency
UK Space Agency
The UK Space Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills (BIS) and is at the heart of UK efforts to explore and
benefit from space.
The UK Space Agency was launched officially on 23 March 2010 and became an
executive agency of BIS on 1 April 2011. The Agency is responsible for all strategic
decisions on the UK civil space programme and provides a clear, single voice for UK
space ambitions.
The UK Space Agency:
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co-ordinates UK civil space activity;
supports academic research;
nurtures the UK space industry;
raises the profile of UK space activities at home and abroad;
works to increase understanding of space and its practical benefits; and
inspires our next generation of UK scientists and engineers.
An evolving UK space sector
Framework for strategic engagement with Space for Growth
 Industry-led strategy to grow the sector over 20 years (‘Space IGS’) – The Space
Agency
 Goal to win 10% of £400B global market by 2030
 Technology Strategy Board
 Establishment of an ESA presence in the UK
 Creation of the International Space Innovation Centre at Harwell ISIC
 Satellite Applications Catapult Centre
 National Centre for Earth Observation NCEO
Growth: the key to the UK Space sector
8,000
Real Space Turnover (£m, 2008/09 prices)
Upstream
Downstream
7,043
7,000
6,581
5,962
6,000
5,307
4,839
5,000
4,541
4,374
4,110
3,790
4,000
3,464
2,924
3,000
2,000
1,000
565
548
620
603
785
803
840
877
995
930
950
0
1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10e
9% growth per annum for a decade
Source: The Size and Health of the UK Space Industry’ (November 2010), Oxford Economics
Global space economy forecast to be $375
billion per annum by 2019
Source: Andrew Davies, Sunwynd Ltd, for IGS Mid Life Update Summer 2011
Purpose of UK Space Agency
• Ensures that the UK retains and grows a strategic space
capability in:
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manufacturing & systems
services
technologies
applications
science
• Acts to sustain the:
• economic growth
• scientific excellence
• societal benefits
of the UK civil space sector.
Policy and Programme Priorities
• Telecoms and
navigation
• National
space policy
• New applications
for Government
and business
• European
space policy
• Exploit investment
in Galileo
• Global
partnerships
• Technology
• Education,
Skills &
Outreach
• ESA exploration & science
missions
• robotic exploration for
science , technology and
inspiration
• UK in a global framework
• Commercial exploitation
and deliver policy from EO
data & analysis
• Exploit Global Monitoring
for Environment and
Security (GMES)
FP 7 - 6th Call
• Announced in July, deadline 21 November
• Linking research and innovation, bridging to
Horizon 2020
• €126m budget
6th Call content
(1) GMES – (€59m)
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Climate change
Downstream service stimulation
Remote sensing methods
Integration of satcomms and satnav with
space-based observing systems
6th Call Content
(2) Space Foundations (€51m)
• space science and exploration data exploitation
• Earth-analogue research
• Critical technologies for non-dependence
• reducing the vulnerability of assets
– Space-weather
– in-orbit collisions avoidance
(3) Cross-cutting (€16m)
– “Spin-out” of space technologies
– Cooperation with third countries (China, Ukraine)
UK Space Agency
saleh.ahmed@ukspaceagency.bis.gsi.gov.uk
http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency