With EU politicians using the pan-European Galileo satellite project as a stick to beat Britain with the nation’s booming space-led industries are increasingly looking at going it alone or teaming up with the planet’s most famous space agency NASA.
And yesterday Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation Sam Gyimah opened talks with NASA.
Experts say the move will not only intimidate EU bosses – as much of the Galileo project relies on British know-how and British cash – but that Anglo-US space collaborations will likely dwarf any European projects.
The UK Government has said it wants to increase its share of the global space market from 6.5 percent to 10 percent by 2030, and a NASA partnership would be a monumental boost in helping it achieve that.
The Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, Sam Gyimah, said: “The UK is well placed to be at the forefront of developments in space, and the Government are determined that we will take advantage of the vast opportunities that are available to us as a country.
“That is why I met the new NASA administrator, Jim Bridenstine, today to discuss UK-US collaboration.
“As we all know, NASA is the biggest space agency in the world, with budgets in excess of $10 billion a year.
“We discussed how to extend and deepen the opportunities for our two countries to collaborate, especially in relation to the hugely ambitious vision for exploration set out by President Trump.”
Britain has contributed a massive £1.2billion of the estimated £8.5billion cost of the experimental Galileo GPS system, with British companies playing a major part in development.
In spite of Britain’s prominent role in getting Galileo into orbit, the European Commission has said it would “no longer be appropriate” for the country to be involved following Brexit next year.
While the UK may not have access to Galileo after Brexit, it will continue to be a member of the European Space Agency – which is an independent entity.
By working with both the ESA and NASA, the UK could become one of the most powerful players in the space agency, according to Mr Gyimah.
He said: “We want to continue to be at the forefront of the next human exploration missions, working alongside NASA and the European Space Agency, but space is also a fundamental part of our economic future. The UK space sector is growing.
“It is worth about £13.7 billion to the economy according to current estimates, and it employs more than 38,000 people across the country.
“Were the UK not to continue to participate in the Galileo programme, not only would the programme be delayed but it would cost EU member states a lot more.
“Surrey Satellite Technology has been responsible for the cryptography and encryption of the Galileo system, and CGI UK, which has a presence in Surrey, has been responsible for building a number of the satellites. So the expertise and skills necessary to deliver the Galileo system reside in the UK, and were the EU to adopt what I consider to be an irrational position and not allow the UK to fully participate, we would not only take the action we need to take to protect critical national infrastructure, but we would also be at liberty to partner with other countries around the world, not only to develop our own global navigation and satellite system but to develop our space sector.”