Future UK space policy – Indications from the UK Space Conference 2011

The UK government appears to be taking space more seriously, even if funding for the sector remains limited. Speeches and attendees at the conference confirm this trend, with a particular emphasis on innovation and a general sense that prospects for the UK space industry are good. The various themes and highlights of the conference are discussed.     

The UK parliamentary space committee: The emergence of a space lobby?

In the past few years the UK has become increasingly active as the financial conscience of the European Space Agency. This is not because the UK government has a wish to spend more on its national space effort; it is because it remains unconvinced of the benefits of certain European space activities, notably manned endeavours. In the absence of an effective UK space lobby, the government's policies have remained largely unchallenged. This article traces the growth of the Parliamentary Space Committee in the context of developments in recent European space policy and highlights the need for an active UK space lobby.     

Space security through the transatlantic partnership

On 12–14 June 2011, a conference was convened in Prague entitled ”Space Security through the Transatlantic Partnership“, co-sponsored by the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) and the Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI). It was the first non-governmental transatlantic conference of its kind dedicated to this topic, attended by over 100 senior space policy officials and high-level representatives of multilateral institutions, NGOs, academia, and industry from Europe, the USA, and Japan. The overarching goal of the conference was to solicit and assess both converging and diverging views on the multifaceted subject of space security and to seek to establish an on-going “Track II” non-governmental process designed to assist with the crafting of a future architecture for the management of this key dimension of space policy on a trilateral, and eventually global, basis. This report summarizes the proceedings.     

On the space trail

The future of the UK in space, and what could be done to support it, was the subject of Campaigning for Space, a conference organized by the Shephard Press and held in London, UK on 4 July 1988.     

New business opportunities in space

Outside the big space industry conglomerates, there are a number of much smaller firms, often with great specialist expertise, in existence. A concentration of such companies is found around the aerospace centre of Bristol in Southwest England; these companies are seeking to expand the UK space business and explore new opportunities, not only in traditional fields but also in up-and-coming areas such as exploration and space tourism. To this end their forum held a one-day conference in Exeter. One of their members reports on the proceedings.     

Space, security and resilience: Reflections on the debate

The RUSI Space and UK National Security Conference was held in London, 14 June 2011. Alixe Buckerfield de la Roche reports on some of the key themes discussed, including the increasing merger of space and cyber, the growing urgency in calling for development of robust and effective regulatory frameworks for orbital management, and the challenges surrounding national resilience achieved through space situational awareness. At RUSI’s 12th Missile Defence Conference held the same week Secretary General Rasmussen gave an address on NATO’s missile policy—focusing on partnerships and collaboration. His comments intersect aptly with the Space and UK National Security conference themes and are therefore included here.     

Earth observation and UK science policy

This paper examines the way in which Earth observation is linked to UK science policy through the 1993 UK science White Paper and subsequent policy statements, and how the central theme of partnership has been developed in practice. An example of crop yield prediction is given to illustrate the strengths and the weaknesses of the approach. The UK science and space strategies are set in the context of the European Strategy for Space and links are made to the US global change research strategy.     

Selling space exploration luxury or necessity?

The exploration of space can be seen as contributing to both technological innovation and national pride. But is it worth the expense - and who should pay? Anthony Gottlieb discusses some of the issues raised at a conference held in March 1988 at Ditchley Park, Oxon, UK.     

We must harness space for sustainable development

Many UN agencies use space data as a tool to promote global sustainable development, yet the use of space has barely been acknowledged, let alone understood, by decision makers at the various UN and international meetings on the environment and development. Following discussions held at a side-event to the 2012 Rio+20 conference, the author highlights the various ways space applications can be used to meet the challenges (in resource use, disaster management, environmental protection and climate change) of sustainable development and urges policy makers to inform themselves of the benefits of space applications.     

UK space policy

With an eye on the imminent ESA ministerial meeting, the rationale behind the UK government's often criticized assessment of the utility of space activities is explained. The structure of the country's space policy is described and details given of the UK's involvement in ESA programmes.     

Policy and regulatory risk considerations for satellite communications

The London Institute of Space Policy and Law is presenting a series of seminars on risks associated with space activity and its insurance, aimed at fostering better understanding of the risks particular to commercial space projects, and at encouraging appropriate policy measures. Seminar IV-I on 5 February 2010 focused on policy and regulatory risk considerations for satellite communications. After an introduction by the seminar chair Jeremy Rose, senior consultant at telecommunications consultancy Comsys, and a welcome from Institute Director Sa'id Mosteshar, four speakers outlined the ideal regulatory framework for satellite communications, as well as current regulatory and policy risks at the international, regional and national level. Risks were discussed in ITU, EU and UK procedures and policies and debate was continued from the floor. The event's rapporteur summarizes the issues highlighted by the speakers and some of the interventions from the floor.     

Taking space to the public

The UK space industry is an important part of the British economy and likely to become more so, but it needs well-educated graduates, government support and investment. Such an effort would be aided by an educated public. Education is an important part of a successful space industry policy. The Space Education Council, supported by the BNSC, is doing important work talking to the public about space. This article argues that there is a need for more space education work and reports on the Space Education Council's recent symposium.     

The changing face of the European space sector: the policies of Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom

The current international economic and technical climate has caused changes in the European space sector such that Italy is now struggling to maintain third place in the European hierarchy, the Franco-German relationship has become less dominant, while the UK is becoming more open towards European cooperation. This article analyses the current policies of Germany, the UK and Italy and examines their operating methods. The author speculates on the outlook for these countries in the next 10 years: neither the UK, nor Italy looks set to become a major player and German policy will depend on the success of its upcoming strategic plan. All these countries, and France, however, will need to engage in intensive bilateral consultations if they wish to compete in worldwide markets.     

Space for science, enterprise and environment: the UK draft Space Strategy

For the UK, space is primarily a means to an end and not an end in itself. This approach has been described as utilitarian. The British National Space Centre describes it as user oriented: the purpose of going into space should be to provide cost-effective information or services to the users, whether these are the science community, commercial operators and customers, or public sector bodies. The new draft UK Space Strategy, published on 22 January 2003, provides the underpinning rationale for this approach, which derives in part from the very individual way in which the UK organises its interests in space.     

The merger of two global commons: The need for new governance

The RUSI ‘Space and UK National Security’ conference was held in London on 2 October 2012 and, with the ‘Cyber Alliances: Strategy Partnerships in Cyber Space’ conference’ of 14–15 November 2012, brought together space and cyberspace specialists from more than 15 countries, across four continents. Alixe Buckerfield de la Roche reports on key points discussed across both conferences: (1) space as a shared domain, and building resilience; (2) governance; (3) national responses to space security; (4) partnerships and alliances, space situational awareness, space debris, and new initiatives; (5) the space–cyberspace merger; and (6) commercial and military sectors. Consensus on critical areas for further action emerged, and for that reason the conjunction of the two conferences was significant.     

Understanding strategic decision making in the context of international space activities

This paper argues that a better understanding of strategic decision making processes in different space agencies is relevant to the successful carrying out of international cooperative undertakings in space and that this kind of information should be taken into account when decisions are to be made on engaging in a new partnership. In this context, the paper provides a general framework for the study of strategic decision making in space organisations, with particular emphasis on the influence of culture. Additionally, it offers practical examples of how differences in policy priorities, decision making environments and practices amongst space organisations can affect international cooperative endeavours. A particular concern is with the role of national and corporate cultures in creating and reflecting differences between space agencies. In order to gather information on strategic decision making processes in the space sector, a series of 30 interviews was conducted with top decision makers from NASA, ESA and the space organisations of Brazil, France, Canada, Russia, The Netherlands and the UK.     

History of UK contribution to astronautics: Politics and government

In all developed countries, once it emerged from the amateur era, Space (and especially rocketry) moved on the public agenda because of its potential significance for both the civil and military policies of governments (coupled with its appetite for new money). In the UK the policy treatment of Space broadly paralleled that in other countries until the post-Empire trauma, the burn-out of the White-Hot Technological revolution of Harold Wilson, and the financial crises of the 1970s exhausted the public appetite for large scale publicly funded projects in high technology. The culmination for Space of these pressures came in 1986–1987 when the UK rejected the emerging international consensus and, almost alone, stayed outside the manned space commitments which developed into the International Space Station. In this paper, Colin Hicks will review the UK political developments which led up to the 1986–1987 decision and how the politics and organisation of UK space activity have developed since then to the point where in 2008 a major government review of the UK involvement in manned space was commissioned.     

The fair and responsible use of space: An international perspective

Over 60 high-ranking professionals participated in ESPIs’ jointly organised November 2008 conference on “The Fair and Responsible Use of Space”. With space applications being central to modern interactions and more and more actors becoming involved in space activities, the conference investigated how an equitable and responsible utilisation of space can be achieved for all relevant actors. By outlining the current space security situation, it identified and analysed key challenges to the achievement of such use of outer space. The conference themes and discussions are reported here, as are the 10 steps identified as necessary for the achievement of an equitable use of space.     

Economics of space and the role of government

The author was a member of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology which conducted and enquiry into UK space policy. He argues that the industrial and technological case for space put to the Committee was insufficiently underpinned by reasoned argument. The article first examines the economic case forgovernment involvement in space. The role of economic analysis is examined; it is concluded that, except in the case of space applications, quantified analysis is usually misleading. In the light of this discussion, the technological case for space and the problems of commercialization are examined.     

Governance of national space activities

Senior political and space agency personnel joined representatives of industry and other space-related institutions for a conference, held in Budapest in January 2009, on how best to structure national and European space governance. Four sessions examined the subject of the conference from a top-down European, a bottom-up national, a theoretical and actor-based and a discursive–participative perspective. The themes and outcomes of the conference are reported below.