Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to have the honour of addressing the European Interparliamentary Space Conference. I hope that those of you who were able to attend the reception in Lancaster House last night had an enjoyable time. The British Government sets very high store by its co-operation in the space field with our European colleagues, so I am particularly pleased that you have chosen to come to London and will have the chance to see a little of the UK's capacity in this sector.
Your meeting comes at a very timely moment both for the United Kingdom's Space Sector, and for the closer co-ordination of space activities across Europe. Perhaps I can share with you my thoughts on these two themes.
I think it is fair to say that British Governments, of both political persuasions, have taken a distinctive approach to space. We ask a number of questions: "What are the potential commercial opportunities?". "Where does Government need to step in and where can this be left to the market?" "Is space the best means of delivery?" "What are the most exciting and rewarding scientific opportunities?". "How can we tell the public about all that space can offer and excite them to learn more?". In other words, we look at the purpose to which space activities can be put, whether commercial or scientific.
This has meant that the British Government has given priority to communications satellites, astronomical, planetary and Earth science, and Earth observation applications satellites and their exploitation, rather than to manned space or the launcher programme.
We are about to re-evaluate these choices and produce a new set of objectives within which UK space policy can be coordinated. These objectives will be produced as a public document known as the UK Space Strategy.
At the moment, the British National Space Centre, which co-ordinates British space policy, has three core objectives, and I want to explore in the development of the new UK Space Strategy how we can better deliver them. The three objectives are to do world class space science, to develop a strong commercial space industry including applications, and to use space to collect environmental information to underpin our environmental policies.
We propose to refine these by seeking to maintain and enhance the UK as:
In sum, our new Space Strategy must focus on delivering real benefits to our citizens, both in terms of wealth creation and improvements in the quality of our lives and in scientific endeavours.
It is important that our Strategy has the endorsement of the space sector and public. So we will publish it shortly for comment, and will hold a public seminar to discuss the draft.
You will detect a close relationship between the United Kingdom's proposals and the European Space Strategy. Both focus on space at the service of the citizen, which was the theme for the meeting of ESA Ministers which took place in Edinburgh last year. I believe that we must now ensure that this message is central to all we do. While the United Kingdom has always had a user focus – which has perhaps made us distinct from some of our European colleagues – we now plan to make sure it informs the whole programme.
An important factor in the refinement of our Strategy is the changes in the way the Department of Trade and Industry, which is the host partner of the British National Space Centre, operates. The British National Space Centre is now part of the newly created Innovation Group. This is right for BNSC, since the UK space sector is at the forefront of scientific research and technology development, and as I have said, one of the key objectives of the current Space Strategy is to foster the development of innovative technology, its commercial exploitation and its application to research.
I understand that you too are focusing on the central role of innovation and I welcome this. In the global knowledge economy, we can only compete on the basis of our knowledge, skills and creativity. We have to compete on the basis of innovation. Innovation is also central to the success of the space sector, and I look forward to hearing your own conclusions on how Europe can meet this challenge.
I was delighted to inaugurate a few months ago a European Space Agency research facility based in the United Kingdom at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. This facility, Star Tiger, demonstrates a unique and innovative approach to the solving of complex technical problems. The idea behind it is to create a contained environment, in which young scientists and researchers can concentrate on a particular problem, to allow for rapid advances in technology development. In this first instance, it was to develop the first Tera Hertz camera, the world's first compact sub millimetre wave imager. It is this kind of innovative, international and groundbreaking activity that will push forward capability in the space sector and open up opportunities both in space and the downstream sectors, for the benefit of all parts of society.
This brings me to my second main theme. It is by innovation the UK seeks to remain competitive on an international level. As you will know well, this is especially important for space-related industries because the space sector is truly international. In a real sense, the European Space Agency is the United Kingdom's national programme. About 60% of our civil space budget is invested in the programmes and activities of the Agency. Much of the rest is invested in EUMETSAT or in national programmes which prepare for or exploit European programmes. By pooling resources, the United Kingdom and other European countries can embark on ambitious programmes of research and exploration, which would be beyond the reach of any single state. So ESA matters deeply to us.
The relationship between the European Space Agency and the UK ensures a high level of participation for the UK space industry in cutting-edge programmes. There are many highly innovative projects in which the UK is participating, from Earth Observation, with the Envisat satellite, to Satellite communications, with the co-funded ARTES programmes, and the development of Galileo. And we look forward to the launch of several pioneering missions in 2003.
Firstly, Rosetta will begin its eight year journey to Comet Wirtanen where it will find out vital information about the nature of comets. Soon after the launch of Rosetta, we can look forward to the launch of SMART-1. For the first time ever, we will be able to determine the composition of the lunar surface which could provide the answers to the origin of the moon. The red planet is an object of fascination for scientists and the public alike. ESA's Mars Express mission is due to reach its destination at the end of 2003. On- board will be the British Beagle 2 Lander, which is going to explore the surface of the planet to assess whether conditions for life on Mars exist or have existed.
As these missions demonstrate we are crucially concerned with the development of closer links between ESA, the space technologists, and the European Commission, the space user. I welcome their presence here as observers, together with EUMETSAT, EUTELSAT, the Western European Union, and others. The United Kingdom has always warmly promoted the process of closer co-ordination between ESA and the Commission. Most countries represented here are members of both.
The practicalities of developing this closer working will raise challenging questions of protocol and of respective responsibilities. The process has been one of surges followed by consolidation. There has been some concern recently that the relationship between ESA and the Commission has cooled, ironically due to the start of formal negotiations on the Framework Agreement between the two bodies. I believe that this Conference will give renewed impetus to forward movement in Europe.
I spoke last night of how the influence of space on our everyday lives will continue to grow, through the application of satellite technology, through safeguarding the future of our natural environment, and through reaching a fuller understanding of fundamental questions about its existence and our own. We must develop successful applications of space technology, both for commercial benefit and to retain control of downstream services. These are all excellent reasons why we share a passion for space. But above all it is the excitement of space, its exploration and technology, that have brought us here today, and which I am sure will lead to an enjoyable and successful conference.
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