UK is a “third-rank space power”

Among its findings, it calls for the creation of a Minister for Space “to provide direction, drive and accountability for this and other critical space programmes”.

It also found that Whitehall governance on space “lacks coherence, clarity and direction”. In particular, it highlighted as unacceptable that the UK Government hasn’t come to any decision about development of the UK’s own space-based Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) capabilities. This is four years since the UK was excluded from the EU’s Galileo programme, with tens of millions of pounds being spent on considering a replacement.

This is in the context, it says, of a “vital need” for a resilient PNT network both for Defence and other aspects of critical national infrastructure,

Specifically, the Committee calls on the Government to publish the conclusions of its ‘Space Based PNT Programme’, “which seems to have disappeared without a trace” it notes, and to set out a timetable for producing and taking forward the UK’s PNT strategy in its response to this report.

It also expresses concern about Russia’s impounding of OneWeb satellites earlier this year and calls for the Government to “conduct the strictest possible scrutiny” of the planned merger of OneWeb and Eutelsat under the National Security and Investment Act.

Third rank

No punches are pulled in the report, with the committee declaring the “lack of progress” it has seen as “unacceptable” and describing the UK, at best, as a third-rank space power.

The UK doesn’t compare favourably with peer nations in terms of spending, for example. Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development place the UK within the bottom half of G20 nations when it comes to spending on space as a percentage of GDP.

The Chair of the Defence Committee, Tobias Ellwood MP, said:

“Over this inquiry we heard that the UK is, at best, a third-rank space power, lagging behind Italy. And while Government has recognised there is work to do, the Whitehall machine is not moving fast enough.

“When the UK was expelled from the Galileo programme there were no real winners. Now, several years and tens of millions of pounds later, we are no closer to the development of a replacement Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) network. Instead, the Government’s new Space Based PNT Programme has disappeared into the ether and we risk falling further behind both our peers and our adversaries.”

Ellwood adds:

“Over the next decade the Ministry of Defence will spend £1.4 billion on developing new space capabilities. Given the Department’s woeful track record in delivering major projects on time and to budget, we have serious concerns that history will be repeated and we will continue to hold the Department to account.

“Despite the enormity of the task ahead, we must not let the challenges eclipse the potential opportunities. Space offers an exciting opportunity to future-proof both our defence capabilities and our economy. As our workforce shifts to become highly-skilled and technology-focused, the Government and the Ministry of Defence must work to develop clear and attractive space career paths, both in industry and in Defence, that will give us the edge that we need.”

You can read the full report online, which is prepared for the UK’s Ministry of Defence.

The Government has two months to respond.