The Watch THE BRITISH ARE LAUNCHING, THE BRITISH ARE LAUNCHING While it's unlikely that Brits will be taking high tea above the stratosphere anytime soon, the U.K. is setting itself up for a bigger piece of the space pudding. The U.K. Space Agency (UKSA) wants to improve its stake in the $350-billion space economy to 10 per cent from the current 6.5 per cent within the next 12 years. This may sound lofty, but the country can build on existing strengths in the industry, namely the creation of small satellites—a rapidly growing sector, regular
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that. The first launch pad will be built on the north coast of Scotland by American firm Lockheed Martin, which also has a contract to develop a system to deploy small satellites from the town of Reading, England. Other launchpads are being planned for Cornwall, North Wales, and Glasgow. By the way, Glasgow produces more small satellites than any other city outside the United States. "We've already got a great reputation and we're building on that,” Greg Clark, the agency’s business secretary, told Sky News. “It's really good news for everyone right across the United Kingdom."
readers of The PEG already know. Right now, the U.K. produces 44 per cent of the world’s small satellites and has the infrastructure to oper- ate the devices once they’re up and running. But there’s more. The UKSA wants to begin launching small satellites from its own soil within the next few years. It will be building spaceports and launchpads, and acquiring rockets, to do just
WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE SPACE The U.K. may be on its way out of the European Union, but its space program is certainly ramping up. Actual launches from U.K. soil are coming—not necessarily of any satellites that look
the one depicted here. -image courtesy NASA
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