England timidly goes with modest new funding for space
UK Space Agency announces a "levelling-up" boost in funding.
England’s space agency, a little-known state body with a slightly dodgy-looking logo, has announced a modest increase in funding for the UK space sector. Trumpeted as a “levelling-up boost… with new funding for growth”, the £6.5m includes support for local schemes across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
One of the new projects is a feasibility study for a space observatory and planetarium to be based in the mountainous Eryri region of northern Wales, which has some of the best dark skies in the British Isles. Another will look at water leakage, and monitor coastal erosion in Cornwall. Nearly £500k will go toward upgrading the existing satellite tracking radar at Chilbolton in Wessex.
To put UK Space Agency activities in financial context, note that Brexitania remains a member state of the European Space Agency, despite ESA’s increasing integration with the EU. The UK is the fourth largest contributor to the ESA budget after Germany, France and Italy, with €438m allocated in 2022.