UK Space Agency Allocates More Than $315 Million for European Space Programs

ESA Ministerial Council meeting in Luxembourg. Photo: ESA

[Via Satellite 12-16-2014] Based on negotiations at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Ministerial Council in Luxembourg on Dec. 2, the U.K. Space Agency has decided on an extra investment worth more than $315 million into European space programs. Approximately $205 million is dedicated to satellite telecommunications programs. A large chunk, roughly $90 million, is for the quantum-class communications satellite.

SSTL and Airbus Defence and Space are building the first quantum satellite for Eutelsat Communications. According to the U.K. Space Agency, the development of a low-cost, flexible satellite is worth more than $1.5 billion to U.K. industry. Other satellite technologies to be funded include High Throughput Satellite (HTS) services and applications, the European Data Relay System (EDRS), and the Inmarsat Communications Evolution (ICE). Other projects to receive significant funding include the ExoMars rover and the International Space Station (ISS).

“Together with the team from the U.K. Space Agency, we have achieved an outcome that will keep British science and industry at the forefront of the global market for satellite technology and services,” said Universities, Science and Cities Minister Greg Clark. “The real benefits that come back to the U.K. from our investment with key telecommunications projects will help us achieve our ambitious target to create 100,000 new jobs by 2030.”