New UK Space Agency About To Start Up

Britan’s new space agency, U.K. Space Agency (UKSA), will formally open its doors on April 1, according to the BBC. The report says that “Its establishment should bring more coherence to space policy – something critics say has been missing for years.”

The BBC noted that creation of the agency is in response to a report from industry and academia, the Space Innovation and Growth Strategy (Space-IGS), that made recommendations last month on how to increase Britain’s share of the global market in space products and services. The government reportedly plans to adopt many of the Space-IGS recommendations, but not the one calling on the United Kingdom to double its spending on European Space Agency (ESA) programs over the next decade and “initiate and lead at least three missions between now and 2030.” Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation, said that the goverment could not make such commitments at this time.