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Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleUsing Space for the Public Good |
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Good evening. I am delighted to have this opportunity to talk to you this evening about 'using space for the public good'. I believe that there are exciting opportunities to use space to do world-class science, to create jobs and wealth, and to improve the quality of our lives. It is also, I am afraid, easy to spend money in space to no good purpose. If we are to get value for money from the funds we spend in space we need to be absolutely clear about our objectives. When I was in industry every so often a project was put forward on the basis that it was a 'flagship project'. This usually means that the project had failed to meet the necessary rate of return. In space there are an enormous number of projects which do not have clear objectives. Many projects are put forward on the basis that 'we can not be left out'. Or that 'it is a matter of national prestige'. Sometimes the argument runs that 'it will be very exciting' and 'will encourage young people to take up science and engineering'. Whilst these reasons may have some validity, by themselves they are not clear cut objectives. Objectives - new UK Space Strategy It is therefore, I believe, necessary to question what are and indeed what should be our objectives in space. This is the task we are currently facing in the build up to the ESA Ministerial in November, and as we start to develop the next UK Space Strategy, due to be published in 2002. Today UK space policy has three clear objectives. They are scientific excellence, commercial profitability and the effective achievement of social objectives. I do not expect these to change. When I talk about social objectives, I have in mind such activities as the collection of environmental data. If we agree, for example, that monitoring climate change is an important social objective, we then need to assess whether or not using space to do so is the best and most efficient use of our resources to achieve this. I believe that it is vital for us to take a tough line about our objectives in space. Across the world vast sums of money have been, and indeed still are being, spent on very questionable space programmes. This, of course, makes the task of providing funds for good projects much more difficult. In the UK we believe that each and every programme we participate in must fulfil or be part of a process of fulfilling our objectives. This is why there are some types of programme that currently we do not invest in, although we have not ruled them out forever. International Space Station One of these programmes is the International Space Station. The latest estimate of the total cost over the 30 year period of construction and operation is 100 billion euros. Europe has an 8% share of this, and currently is investing 500 million euros per annum. We have taken the view that the cost of conducting research on manned space platforms is simply too high and that the potential benefits have not been demonstrated. It is for this reason that we chose not to participate in the building of the International Space Station. With the ISS now in orbit, the opportunity exists for all nations to make use of it. We now, therefore, have to decide whether UK researchers would benefit from using the ISS and whether to support some limited experiments. It is likely that the ISS will be mainly used for research over the next decade or so. Such research topics cover fields as diverse as medicine, health, biology, materials and combustion; all of possible benefit to the earth-bound citizen. Manned Space and the Exploration of the Solar System We also do not intend actively to participate in manned exploration of the solar system. This is because we are not convinced that the benefits of human exploration go beyond the political and cultural into the scientific and commercial at the present time. We do not believe that the UK must participate merely because human exploration of the universe 'will happen one day'. We require a solid justification rooted in science or commercial arguments before supporting any human spaceflight programme. ESA Ministerial Next month will see the UK hosting the European Space Agency Ministerial Council in Edinburgh. Indeed, tomorrow Edinburgh will become the first 'European City of Space'. At the Council, major decisions concerning the future of the European Space effort will be taken. In my capacity as Chairman of the ESA Ministerial Council over the last two years, I have seen fundamental changes in European space policy. In institutional terms, the most important has been the development of the European Strategy for Space. Such institutional changes are, of course, of little relevance to the citizen unless they bring changes in the real world. This is the goal of the Strategy. It aims to bring space, and more particularly satellite applications, into the heart of the development and implementation of a range of European policies. The reverse is also true: the Strategy brings a range of European policies into the heart of the European space programme. The subject under discussion in this meeting tonight is extremely timely in light of the upcoming Ministerial Council. Underpinning the Council meeting is one major document: the Director General's Proposal. This document forms the basis of all future proposals and resolutions in ESA for the coming years. Aptly, in view of what I have just been saying, this year it will be entitled 'Space Serving European Citizens'. In it the European Space Agency will reaffirm its commitment to maximising the benefits of space for society. Science I would now like to look at how we are doing against the first of our objectives, scientific excellence. At the moment the UK is benefiting tremendously from the past national investment that has allowed our scientists to secure lead roles on activities in the ESA Cornerstone missions SOHO/Cluster and XMM-Newton, now successfully operating in space. The UK achieved well above its pro rata share of Principal Investigators for those missions. Those activities cover the areas of solar physics, space weather and X-ray astronomy. The next five years will see the UK playing strong science roles in the exploration of the Moon, Mars and Saturn. We are backing the Beagle 2 lander of the ESA Mars Express mission because of the world-beating science that it aims to achieve. An independent science review and international Workshops have identified that the measurements of Beagle 2 are those necessary for conclusively determining whether conditions for life exist or existed on Mars. Beagle 2 is also a demonstration of how space science can attract a massive public interest. The UK will also play major roles in the infrared telescope, Herschel, and the cosmic microwave background mission, Planck, both due for launch in 2007. I firmly believe that the UK can claim, without reservation, to be amongst the world leaders in all these areas of space science. This position has been made possible through the opportunities in the ESA Science programme, and we have welcomed the recent changes in the ESA Science programme, which have enabled an exciting programme of new missions to be put together. For instance, the LISA mission for the first detection of the gravitational waves in space. The GAIA mission that will carry out the most comprehensive survey ever of the stars in our own galaxy. The limit is not the diversity of opportunity, but purely the size of the budget we can allocate to them. This is why we have to prioritise according to our objectives and the contribution of each project to scientific excellence. Telecommunications I would now like to turn to the second of our objectives, the commercial exploitation of space, and say a word about telecommunications. The satellite communications industry is already large. And with the rise of Internet traffic, broadband, multimedia, mobile and digital broadcasting, it is set to grow at a phenomenal rate over the coming years. In fact by the year 2005, the global market is forecast to be worth $168 billion each year [State of Space Industry, June 2000, International Space Business Council]. In the light of the potential commercial opportunities this market expansion will offer, the UK has increased the priority it gives to telecommunications. Broadcast services are major satellite users worldwide. With the development of digital and interactive multimedia technologies, broadcasting represents a major market for UK industry. Two years ago the UK confirmed subscription to the ESA ARTES 1 and 3 programmes, [Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems] which respectively address technology studies and multimedia developments. The work undertaken during the second phase of ARTES 3 will place the UK in an excellent position to command future contracts in this field. Galileo A second important commercial area is global positioning systems. As many of you will know, Galileo is the proposed independent European satellite navigation system currently being developed through the European Commission and the European Space Agency. It is designed purely for civilian use. It will be interoperable with the US GPS and could significantly enhance the performance available to users of global positioning systems. We expect the EU Transport Council to make its decision in December, on whether to enter the development phase. ESA Member States are already showing great commitment to the project. Some are pledging funding, and pushing the project forward although key issues have yet to be resolved. The UK and some other Member States are more cautious and we believe that the project needs further work before Ministers can give the go ahead. It is essential that we lay the foundation for an operational system that meets the need of users and provides real benefits to the public in the UK and Europe. This must also be done in the most cost-effective manner, with a sound management structure, and we are continuing to exert our influence to ensure that this will be the case. GMES Finally, a word about some projects to achieve social objectives. Space can help us define and monitor the environmental challenges that currently face us. Earth observation is playing a crucial role in understanding climate change, and already affects our daily lives through applications such as weather forecasting. Knowledge about the state of the environment is an essential basis for establishing and enforcing policy as well as in reacting to disaster situations. Without such knowledge we cannot be sure that we are working in a sustainable way. Earth observation provides a unique and consistent input to underpin sustainable development. The joint EC/ESA Global Monitoring for Environment and Security project, GMES, is being designed to meet this need. The goal of GMES is to establish systems that make best use of satellite-derived and other information, to assist the public sector in monitoring environmental pressures and their effects on regional stability and global security. I am pleased that the EC's outline action plan for GMES is starting from the needs of users, establishing the customer base on which to build sustainable services for the public sector that are not funded from research budgets. This is a message that I have been keen to drive home over the last year. I look forward to seeing a detailed action plan later in the year that further engages Member State user departments and users across the Commission. Earth Observation Science - announcement of new Centres of Excellence The development of such operational satellites is underpinned by activities undertaken in the research sphere. Earth observation is finding increasingly broader applications in the environmental sciences, and is being supported through the Natural Environment Research Council's Centres of Excellence programme. I am extremely pleased to announce today the establishment of two new centres under this programme. The Centre for Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics joins the expertise of ecologists, mathematical modellers, forest specialists, earth observation scientists and statisticians. Together they will harness information from space to achieve greater understanding of the Earth's Carbon Cycle. The Centre will make a powerful contribution to understanding global warming brought about by greenhouse gases. This is an area which is of fundamental importance to environmental scientists, decision makers and the general public alike. Earth observation data will be used to help resolve the current scientific debate about the way in which carbon dioxide emissions from soils and vegetation affect the Earth's carbon balance. This input is vital if we are to counter current global warming trends, enabling international agreements such as the Kyoto protocol to be ratified. Second, the Centre for the Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes and Tectonics will identify the mechanics of earthquake faulting and of continental deformation. Tectonic activity has affected society in many dramatic ways, most recently in Northwest India. The need for a greater understanding of how we might mitigate some of the disastrous consequences of tectonic activity is without question. Satellite observations are an important resource in meeting that need since they provide measurements over the time and spatial scales required to investigate tectonic activity. Small Satellites and Technology As well as supporting projects which align with our objectives UK space policy is also committed to developing new technology throughout the space industry, so that we are in a position to achieve those objectives. The British National Space Centre has created a National Technology Programme, which aims to stimulate the leading edge generic technology that will enable the space industry to move forward and increase its capability. This programme has focused on areas such as small satellites, key enabling technologies for telecoms satellites, satellite power systems, and the software used in satellites and their control. The UK is, for example, a world leader in small satellite technologies. We believe it is vital to support this technology because of its potential for helping to drive down the cost of access to space for both governments and commercial users. One of the ways in which we actively promote this technology is through the British National Space Centre's funding programme for small satellite projects: MOSAIC [Micro Satellite Applications in Collaboration]. The aim of this programme is to stimulate industry to invest in small satellite missions. Last year I announced three projects that would receive funding under the MOSAIC programme. GEMINI: a project led by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, to develop a low cost small geostationary communications satellite to support a range of services such as radio, telephone and television. TOPSAT: a mission led by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, to provide high-resolution imagery direct to local users from a low cost small satellite. Lastly, the Disaster Monitoring Constellation: an initiative led by Surrey Satellites to create a network of affordable micro-satellites to allow daily imaging from space for the purpose of disaster monitoring. Conclusion This is an exciting time for space exploration and indeed exploitation. As a nation, the UK gets excellent value for its investment in space, in terms of both scientific and commercial returns. This is largely due to the fact that we have been clear about our objectives in the past. It is vital that we maintain clear objectives in the future, but equally important that we do not become blinkered by them. We do not want to miss exciting opportunities because we do not have the imagination or vision to see what contribution they can make to our lives. I have spoken about our three primary objectives in space activity, scientific excellence, commercial profitability, and the achievement of social benefits. Linking through all of these is the common aim of enhancing the quality of life on earth. I firmly believe that space is a vital tool for achieving this. The power source behind that tool is the development of innovative technology that enables us to use space for the public good, and provides the capability to respond to user demand. Alongside this, we need to have the political and economic will that fosters a vision of the future. Space already serves European citizens in many diverse ways. The challenge before us is not merely to keep up with their changing needs. But to provide an infrastructure that can respond to an unimaginable diversity of future needs. This is our aim. To make space truly serve the European citizen. |
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Other speeches by Lord Sainsbury of Turville
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