Satellite navigation systems like GPS are increasingly important for commercial, military and other critical applications, from guiding aircraft, ships and emergency services to helping millions of people find their way on car journeys. A recent government study estimated that sustained disruption to satellite navigation would cost the UK economy £1bn per day.
The government has said that it wants the UK to remain involved in the Galileo programme, and is negotiating with the European Commission on this.
But without the assurance that UK industry can collaborate on an equal basis now and in the future, and without access to the necessary security-related information to rely on Galileo for military functions such as missile guidance, the UK would be obliged to end its participation in the project.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “Our position on Galileo has been consistent and clear. We have repeatedly highlighted the specialist expertise we bring to the project and the risks in time delays and cost increases that the European Commission is taking by excluding UK industry.
“Britain has the skills, expertise and commitment to create our own sovereign satellite system and I am determined that we take full advantage of the opportunities this brings, backed by our modern Industrial Strategy.”
The UK Space Agency is leading this phase of the work to look at options for a British Global Navigation Satellite System, which would fully meet UK security requirements and support the UK’s sovereign space and cryptography sectors. This new investment will develop specific technical proposals with the Ministry of Defence playing a full role in support.
The 18-month engineering, design and development project will deliver a detailed technical assessment and schedule of a UK global positioning system. This would provide both civilian and encrypted signals and be compatible with US GPS.
UK industry has been instrumental in developing Galileo technology and encryption, and this experience will be used in developing the alternative, with several multi-million-pound contracts available for British space companies.
Even if the decision was taken not to create a UK independent satellite system and the UK remained a full member of Galileo post-Brexit, this work would support UK jobs and expertise in areas including spacecraft and antenna design, satellite control systems, cryptography and cyber security.
Growing space sector
Britain’s space industry is going from strength to strength. On 22 August the European Space Agency’s (ESA) British-built wind measuring spacecraft Aeolus was launched. The spacecraft was built by Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage and other British businesses provided critical elements including camera, software and propulsion systems.
At the Farnborough International Airshow in July, the government committed £31.5m to support the development of a spaceport in Sutherland, Scotland and commercial operations from the site, which could be the first in Europe and plans to see rockets lift off from UK soil.
Horizontal launch sites also have significant potential in a future UK spaceflight market, which could attract companies from all over the world to invest in Britain. Sites such as Newquay, Glasgow Prestwick and Snowdonia will be boosted by an additional £2m fund to grow their sub-orbital flight, satellite launch and spaceplane ambitions.
Low cost access to space is important for the UK’s thriving space sector which builds more small satellites than any other country, with Glasgow building more than any other city in Europe.
The UK Space Agency is driving the growth of the space sector as part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy with major initiatives including the £99m National Satellite Test Facility at Harwell, and the UK continues to be a leading member of ESA, which is independent of the EU.