UKspace Pushes For More Focus on Space to Support British National Security

[Satellite Today 09-18-09] A leading U.K. space executive believes the government is not doing enough in terms of space programs.
    John Auburn, chairman of UKspace, a trade association representing the British space industry, said Sept. 18 that the U.K. government should “reinstate a robust national space program” in order to “guarantee national security in an increasingly complex international environment,” he said in a statement.
    “There should be a much stronger focus on the contribution of space to U.K. national civil security, with rigorous monitoring of threats to military and civil space assets and infrastructure,” Auburn said in a statement. “It’s vital that the U.K. government acknowledges society’s increasing dependency on at all levels and establishes a strong pan-government focus for all space matters — civil, military and security.”
    The U.K. government in March published its first “National Security Strategy,” identifying nine Critical National Infrastructure sectors that rely on space-based assets.
    Auburn also called for further cooperation with the United States as well as other European countries. We need to “strengthen collaboration with Europe on space security as well as build upon existing strong links with the United States,” he said in a statement. “This includes reviewing the U.K.’s participation in future space surveillance programs, influencing European space projects such as Galileo, GMES and the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) system, and seeking to host one of the SSA data centers,” he said.