Space – Peter Mount's Blog

Do MP’s really think we could do a future Moon Landing?

I saw this when reading Hansard this morning. It’s a written answer from Friday where an MP (Mr Amess) asked:

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to provide funding for space projects related to a future moon landing; what discussions the UK Space Agency has had with the US administration on this matter; and if he will make a statement. [119768]

Ok, so where the hell did a moon landing come from? Now the response was as expected:

Mr Willetts: No funds are allocated to develop missions for a future moon landing, and at present we have no firm plans to commit to a moon project. The UK Space Agency is a member of the International Space Exploration Co-ordination Group (ISECG) which includes NASA. ISECG is engaged in multi-lateral discussions on future space exploration of the Moon, Mars and asteroids, as described on its website:

http://www.globalspaceexploration.org/

The link being the International Space Exploration Coordination Group which the UKSA is a member but I’m just wondering, where would the money come from, especially in this current financial climate?

The EU & Space Weather monitoring

Whilst doing my daily read through Hansard on the train is morning I came across this written answer in the House of Lords about monitoring Space Weather:

Question
Asked by Lord Hunt of Chesterton

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, in collaboration with other European countries and the European Space Agency, to establish a European system for monitoring, forecasting and disseminating information on space weather. [HL839]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): The UK Space Agency is working with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a space situational awareness programme. An element of this programme covers the development of operational space weather monitoring facilities, including space borne instruments, ground based sensors and telescopes. A further element of the programme addresses the provision and dissemination of space weather forecasts and event warnings by setting up a pilot space weather service centre with expert advisers, a support helpdesk, an archive and a web portal.

This is an optional ESA programme and UK participation must be subject to review against other calls on the space agency budget. A draft business case supporting participation has been prepared by agency staff in consultation with the UK space weather community and interested stakeholders.

Uk budget for Space Technology is only £10m this year

This is a written answer made in the UK parliament yesterday & shows now our government still doesn’t get space technology. I’m surprised on how much we actually do with so little government support. To be honest most members of the public wouldn’t even know how important the UK space industry really is:

Space Technology: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding he has allocated to the National Space Technology Programme in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what the projected funding is in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14. [113837]

Mr Willetts: The National Space Technology Programme is a new UK Space Agency programme announced in the 2011 Budget to promote growth in the UK space sector. £10 million was allocated and will have been fully awarded in competition to industry by the end of 2012-13. Aided by private sector investment and support from other Government organisations, the total programme volume is expected to reach £27 million.

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