The British space programme is the
British government's work to develop British
space
Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually cons ...
capabilities. The objectives of the current civil programme are to "win sustainable economic growth, secure new scientific knowledge and provide benefits to all citizens."
The first official British space programme began in 1952. In 1959, the first satellite programme was started, with the
Ariel
Ariel may refer to:
Film and television
*Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award
* ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki
* ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...
series of British satellites, built in the United States and the UK and launched using American rockets. The first British satellite,
Ariel 1
Ariel 1 (also known as UK-1 and S-55), was the first British satellite, and the first satellite in the Ariel programme. Its launch in 1962 made the United Kingdom the third country to operate a satellite, after the Soviet Union and the United Stat ...
, was launched in 1962.
The British space programme has always emphasized uncrewed
space research
Space research is scientific study carried out in outer space, and by studying outer space. From the use of space technology to the observable universe, space research is a wide research field. Earth science, materials science, biology, medici ...
and commercial initiatives. It has never been government policy to create a British
astronaut corps.
The British government did not provide funding for the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ( ...
until 2011.
During the 1960s and 1970s, a number of efforts were made to develop a British satellite launch capability. A British rocket named
Black Arrow
Black Arrow, officially capitalised BLACK ARROW, was a British satellite carrier rocket. Developed during the 1960s, it was used for four launches between 1969 and 1971, all launched from the Woomera Prohibited Area in Australia. Its final fl ...
did succeed in placing a single British satellite,
Prospero
Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''.
Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to se ...
, into orbit from a launch site in Australia in 1971. Prospero remains the only British satellite to be put into orbit using a British vehicle.
The
British National Space Centre
The British National Space Centre (BNSC) was an agency of the Government of the United Kingdom, organised in 1985, that coordinated civil space activities for the United Kingdom. It was replaced on 1 April 2010 by the United Kingdom Space Age ...
was established in 1985 to co-ordinate British government agencies and other interested bodies in the promotion of British participation in the international market for satellite launches, satellite construction and other space endeavours.
In 2010, many of the various separate sources of space-related funding were combined and allocated to the centre's replacement, the
UK Space Agency
The United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA) is an executive agency of the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the United Kingdom's civil space programme. It was established on 1 April 2010 to replace the British National Space Centre ...
. Among other projects, the agency is funding a
single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane
A spaceplane is a vehicle that can fly and glide like an aircraft in Earth's atmosphere and maneuver like a spacecraft in outer space. To do so, spaceplanes must incorporate features of both aircraft and spacecraft. Orbital spaceplanes te ...
concept called
Skylon.
Origins
Scientific interest in space travel existed in the United Kingdom prior to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, particularly amongst members of the
British Interplanetary Society
The British Interplanetary Society (BIS), founded in Liverpool in 1933 by Philip E. Cleator, is the oldest existing space advocacy organisation in the world. Its aim is exclusively to support and promote astronautics and space exploration.
Str ...
(founded in 1933) whose members included Sir
Arthur C. Clarke, author and conceiver of the
geostationary telecommunications satellite, who joined the BIS before World War II.
As with the other post-war space-faring nations, the British government's initial interest in space was primarily military. Early programmes reflected this interest. As with other nations, much of the rocketry knowledge was obtained from captured German scientists who were persuaded to work for the British. The British performed the earliest post-war tests of captured
V-2 rocket
The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was develop ...
s in
Operation Backfire, less than six months after the end of the war in Europe. In 1946 a proposal was made by Ralph A. Smith to fund a British crewed suborbital launch in a modified V-2 called
Megaroc
Megaroc was a British proposal for an crewed suborbital derivative of the V2 proposed by R A Smith of the British Interplanetary Society. The proposal was sent to the British Ministry of Supply on 23 December 1946. Though slightly smaller the v ...
; this was, however, rejected by the government.
From 1957, British space astronomy used
Skylark
''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...
suborbital
sounding rockets, launched from
Woomera, Australia, which at first reached heights of . Development of air-to-surface missiles such as
Blue Steel contributed to progress towards launches of larger orbit-capable rockets.
British satellite programmes (1959–present)
Early satellite programmes
![19620426 Delta 9-Ariel 1 LC-17A](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/19620426_Delta_9-Ariel_1_LC-17A.jpg)
The
Ariel programme
Ariel was a British satellite research programme conducted between the early 1960s and 1980s. Six satellites were launched as part of the programme, starting with the first British satellite, Ariel 1, which was launched on 26 April 1962, and concl ...
developed six satellites between 1962 and 1979, all of which were launched by
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
.
In 1971, the last Black Arrow (R3) launched
Prospero X-3
The ''Prospero'' satellite, also known as the X-3, was launched by the United Kingdom in 1971. It was designed to undertake a series of experiments to study the effects of the space environment on communications satellites and remained operat ...
, the only British satellite to be launched using a British rocket. Ground contact with Prospero ended in 1996.
Military communications satellite programme
Skynet is a purely military programme, operating a set of
communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth ...
s on behalf of the
Ministry of Defence (MoD), to provide communication services to the three branches of the
British Armed Forces and to
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
and allied governments. The first satellite was launched in 1969, becoming the first military satellite in
geostationary orbit, and the most recent in 2012. As of 2020, seven Skynet satellites are operating and providing coverage of almost the whole globe.
Skynet is the most expensive British space project, although as a military initiative it is not part of the civil space programme. The MoD is currently specifying the Skynet 6 architecture to replace the Skynet 5 model satellites, which is expected to cost about £6 billion.
Intelligence satellite programmes
Zircon
Zircon () is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates and is a source of the metal zirconium. Its chemical name is zirconium(IV) silicate, and its corresponding chemical formula is Zr SiO4. An empirical formula showing some of t ...
was the
codename
A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in industrial c ...
for a British
signals intelligence satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...
, intended to be launched in 1988, before being cancelled. During the
Cold War, the UK's Government Communications Headquarters (
GCHQ
Government Communications Headquarters, commonly known as GCHQ, is an intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance (IA) to the government and armed forces of the Uni ...
) was very reliant on America's
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collect ...
(NSA) for communications interception from space. GCHQ therefore decided to produce a British-designed-and-built signals intelligence satellite, to be named Zircon, a code-name derived from
zirconium silicate
Zirconium silicate, also zirconium orthosilicate, ZrSiO4, is a chemical compound, a silicate of zirconium. It occurs in nature as zircon, a silicate mineral. Powdered zirconium silicate is also known as zircon flour.
Zirconium silicate is usual ...
, a diamond substitute.
Zircon's function was to intercept radio and other signals from the
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, Europe and other areas. The satellite was to be built by
Marconi Space and Defence Systems at
Portsmouth Airport, in which a new high security building had been built.
It was to be launched on a
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program ...
under the guise of
Skynet IV. Launch on the Shuttle would have entitled a British National to fly as a
Payload Specialist and a group of military pilots were presented to the press as candidates for '
Britain's first man in space'.
Zircon was cancelled by Chancellor
Nigel Lawson
Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby, (born 11 March 1932) is a British Conservative Party politician and journalist. He was a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Blaby from 1974 to 1992, and served in the cabinet of Margaret ...
on grounds of its cost in 1987. The subsequent scandal about the true nature of the project became known as the
Zircon Affair.
Independent satellite navigation system
On 30 November 2018, it was announced that the
United Kingdom Global Navigation Satellite System (UKGNSS) will not be affiliated with the European Space Agency's
Galileo satellite system after
Britain completes its withdrawal from the European Union. Instead, it was initially planned that the
UK Space Agency
The United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA) is an executive agency of the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the United Kingdom's civil space programme. It was established on 1 April 2010 to replace the British National Space Centre ...
would operate an independent satellite system.
However, on 25 September 2020, ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'' reported that the United Kingdom Global Navigation Satellite System project had been scrapped. The project, deemed unnecessary and too expensive, will be replaced with a new project that will explore alternative ways to provide satellite navigation services.
OneWeb satellite constellation
In July 2020, the United Kingdom government and India's
Bharti Enterprises
Bharti Enterprises is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Delhi. It was founded in 1976 by Sunil Mittal. Bharti Enterprises owns businesses spanning across manufacturing, telecommunications, agribusiness, real estate, ho ...
jointly purchased the bankrupt
OneWeb
OneWeb (legally Network Access Associates Ltd) is a communications company that aims to build broadband satellite Internet services. The company is headquartered in London, and has offices in Virginia, US and a satellite manufacturing facility ...
satellite company, with the UK paying £400 million (US$500 million) for a 45% stake and a golden share to give it control over future ownership. The UK government is considering whether the
low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, with an altitude never mor ...
OneWeb satellite constellation
OneWeb (legally Network Access Associates Ltd) is a communications company that aims to build broadband satellite Internet services. The company is headquartered in London, and has offices in Virginia, US and a satellite manufacturing facility ...
could in future provide a form of UKGNSS service in addition to its primary purpose of fast satellite broadband, and it may be incorporated into the military
Skynet 6 communications architecture. OneWeb satellites are manufactured by a joint venture including
Airbus Defence and Space who operate Skynet.
OneWeb commenced launches of the
OneWeb satellite constellation
OneWeb (legally Network Access Associates Ltd) is a communications company that aims to build broadband satellite Internet services. The company is headquartered in London, and has offices in Virginia, US and a satellite manufacturing facility ...
, a network of more than 650
low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, with an altitude never mor ...
satellites, in February 2019, and by March 2020, had launched 74 of the planned 648 satellites in the initial constellation. OneWeb's goal has been to provide
internet services
An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise private ...
to "everyone, everywhere", delivering internet connections to rural and remote places as well as to a range of markets. The post-bankruptcy company leadership launched an additional 36 OneWeb satellites on 18 December 2020.
OneWeb satellites are listed in the UK Registry of Outer Space Objects.
British space vehicles (1950–1985)
![Black Knight Rocket Edinburgh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Black_Knight_Rocket_Edinburgh.JPG)
Beginning in 1950, the UK developed and launched several
space rockets, as well as developing
space planes. These included the ''
Black Knight
The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with t ...
'' and ''
Blue Streak
Blue Streak or Bluestreak may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Blue Streak'' (album), a 1995 album by American blues guitarist Luther Allison
* Blue Streak (comics), a secret identity used by three separate Marvel Comics supervillains
* Bluestreak (co ...
'' rockets. During this period, the launcher programmes were administered in succession by the
Ministry of Supply, the
Ministry of Aviation
The Ministry of Aviation was a department of the United Kingdom government established in 1959. Its responsibilities included the regulation of civil aviation and the supply of military aircraft, which it took on from the Ministry of Supply.
...
, the
Ministry of Technology
The Ministry of Technology was a department of the government of the United Kingdom, sometimes abbreviated as "MinTech". The Ministry of Technology was established by the incoming government of Harold Wilson in October 1964 as part of Wilson's am ...
and the
Department of Trade and Industry. Rockets were tested on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
,
RAF Spadeadam
RAF Spadeadam (pronounced "Spade Adam") is a Royal Air Force station in Cumbria, England, close to the border with Northumberland. It is the home of the 9,000 acre (36 km2) Electronic Warfare Tactics Range, making it the largest (by area) R ...
, and
Woomera in South Australia.
A major
satellite launch vehicle
The Satellite Launch Vehicle or SLV was a small-lift launch vehicle project started in the early 1970s by the Indian Space Research Organisation to develop the technology needed to launch satellites. SLV was intended to reach a height of and c ...
was proposed in 1957 based on Blue Streak and Black Knight technology. This was named
Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, suc ...
, but the project was cancelled in 1960 due to lack of funding. Blue Streak rockets continued to be launched as the first stage of the European
Europa carrier rocket until Europa's cancellation in 1972. The smaller ''
Black Arrow
Black Arrow, officially capitalised BLACK ARROW, was a British satellite carrier rocket. Developed during the 1960s, it was used for four launches between 1969 and 1971, all launched from the Woomera Prohibited Area in Australia. Its final fl ...
'' launcher was developed from Black Knight and was first launched in 1969 from Woomera. The program was soon cancelled. In 1971, the last Black Arrow (R3) launched ''
Prospero X-3
The ''Prospero'' satellite, also known as the X-3, was launched by the United Kingdom in 1971. It was designed to undertake a series of experiments to study the effects of the space environment on communications satellites and remained operat ...
'', becoming the first (and last) satellite to be placed in orbit by a British launch vehicle.
By 1972, British government funding of both
Blue Streak (missile)
The de Havilland Propellers Blue Streak was a British Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), and later the first stage of the Europa satellite launch vehicle. Blue Streak was cancelled without entering full production.
The project was ...
and
Black Arrow
Black Arrow, officially capitalised BLACK ARROW, was a British satellite carrier rocket. Developed during the 1960s, it was used for four launches between 1969 and 1971, all launched from the Woomera Prohibited Area in Australia. Its final fl ...
had ceased, and no further government-backed British space rockets were developed. Other space agencies, notably
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
, were used for subsequent launches of British satellites. Communication with the Prospero X-3 was terminated in 1996.
''
Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...
'', a British hypersonic test rocket, was launched from Woomera between 1969 and 1979.
In 1960 the British Space Development Company, a consortium of thirteen large industrial companies, was set up by
Robert Renwick, 1st Baron Renwick to plan the world's first commercial communication satellite company, Renwick becoming the executive director. With Blue Streak, Britain had the technology to make it possible, but the idea was rejected by the British government on the grounds that such a system could not be envisaged in the next 20 years (1961–81). The United States would eventually set up
COMSAT
COMSAT (Communications Satellite Corporation) is a global telecommunications company based in the United States.
By 2007, it had branches in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and several other countries in the Americas. ...
in 1963, resulting in
Intelsat, a large fleet of commercial satellites. The first of Intelsat's fleet,
Intelsat I
Intelsat I (nicknamed Early Bird for the proverb "The early bird catches the worm") was the first commercial communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit, on April 6, 1965. It was built by the Space and Communications Group of ...
, was launched in April 1965.
The official national space programme was revived in 1982 when the British government funded the
HOTOL
HOTOL, for Horizontal Take-Off and Landing, was a 1980s British design for a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) spaceplane that was to be powered by an airbreathing jet engine. Development was being conducted by a consortium led by Rolls-Royce and ...
project, an ambitious attempt at a re-usable space plane using air-breathing rocket engines designed by
Alan Bond. Work was begun by
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marcon ...
. However, having classified the engine design as 'top secret' the government then ended funding for the project, terminating it.
National space programme (1985–2010)
![ISS Agreements](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/ISS_Agreements.jpg)
In 1985 the
British National Space Centre
The British National Space Centre (BNSC) was an agency of the Government of the United Kingdom, organised in 1985, that coordinated civil space activities for the United Kingdom. It was replaced on 1 April 2010 by the United Kingdom Space Age ...
(BNSC) was formed to coordinate British space activities.
The BNSC was the third largest financial contributor to the General Budget of the
European Space Agency, contributing 17.4%, to its Science Programme and to its robotic exploration initiative the
Aurora programme.
The UK decided not to contribute funds for the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ( ...
, on the basis that it did not represent value for money.
The British government did not take part in any crewed space endeavours during this period.
The United Kingdom continued to contribute scientific elements to satellite launches and space projects. The British probe
Beagle 2
The ''Beagle 2'' is an inoperative British Mars lander that was transported by the European Space Agency's 2003 ''Mars Express'' mission. It was intended to conduct an astrobiology mission that would have looked for evidence of past life on Mar ...
, sent as part of the ESA's
Mars Express
''Mars Express'' is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA). The ''Mars Express'' mission is exploring the planet Mars, and is the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. "Express" originally ref ...
to study the planet
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
, was lost when it failed to respond but has recently been found by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and it has been concluded while it did land successfully, one of the solar arrays failed to deploy blocking communication antenna.
United Kingdom Space Agency (2010 – present)
![UK Space Agency text-only logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/UK_Space_Agency_text-only_logo.png)
On 1 April 2010, the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
established the
UK Space Agency
The United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA) is an executive agency of the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the United Kingdom's civil space programme. It was established on 1 April 2010 to replace the British National Space Centre ...
, an agency responsible for the British space programme. It replaced the
British National Space Centre
The British National Space Centre (BNSC) was an agency of the Government of the United Kingdom, organised in 1985, that coordinated civil space activities for the United Kingdom. It was replaced on 1 April 2010 by the United Kingdom Space Age ...
and now has responsibility for government policy and key budgets for space, as well as representing the UK in all negotiations on space matters.
As of 2015, the UK Space Agency provides 9.9% of the European Space Agency budget.
Reaction Engines Skylon
The British government partnered with the
ESA
, owners =
, headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France
, coordinates =
, spaceport = Guiana Space Centre
, seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png
, seal_size = 130px
, image = Views in the Main Control Room (120 ...
in 2010 to promote a
single-stage to orbit spaceplane
A spaceplane is a vehicle that can fly and glide like an aircraft in Earth's atmosphere and maneuver like a spacecraft in outer space. To do so, spaceplanes must incorporate features of both aircraft and spacecraft. Orbital spaceplanes te ...
concept called
Skylon. This design was developed by
Reaction Engines Limited
Reaction Engines Limited is a British aerospace manufacturer based in Oxfordshire, England.
History and personnel
In , Reaction Engines was founded by Alan Bond (lead engineer on the British Interplanetary Society's Project Daedalus) and ...
, a company founded by
Alan Bond after
HOTOL
HOTOL, for Horizontal Take-Off and Landing, was a 1980s British design for a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) spaceplane that was to be powered by an airbreathing jet engine. Development was being conducted by a consortium led by Rolls-Royce and ...
was cancelled. The Skylon spaceplane has been positively received by the British government, and the
British Interplanetary Society
The British Interplanetary Society (BIS), founded in Liverpool in 1933 by Philip E. Cleator, is the oldest existing space advocacy organisation in the world. Its aim is exclusively to support and promote astronautics and space exploration.
Str ...
.
Successful tests of the engine precooler and "SABRE" engine design were carried out in 2012, although full funding for development of the spacecraft itself had not been confirmed.
2011 budget boost and reforms
The British government proposed reform to the
1986 Outer Space Act in several areas, including the liabilities that cover space operations, in order to enable British
companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...
' space endeavours to better compete with international competitors. There was also a proposal of a £10 million boost in capital investment, to be matched by industry.
[
]
Commercial spaceports
In July 2014, the government announced that it would build a
British commercial spaceport
The British commercial spaceport competition was a plan by the Government of the United Kingdom, UK government announced in early 2014 to select a site, build a commercial spaceport, and have it in operation by 2018. Although six sites were shor ...
. It planned to select a site, build the facilities, and have the
spaceport
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching or receiving spacecraft, by analogy to a seaport for ships or an airport for aircraft. The word ''spaceport'', and even more so ''cosmodrome'', has traditionally been used for sites capable ...
in operation by 2018.
[
] Six sites were shortlisted, but the competition was ended in May 2016 with no selection made. However, in July 2018 UKSA announced that the British government would back the development of a spaceport at
A' Mhòine
A' Mhòine () is a peninsula in the Highlands, Scotland. The peninsula is bounded to the west by Loch Eriboll, and to the east by the Kyle of Tongue. The A838 road crosses the peninsula on an east–west axis. Much of the peninsula is owned b ...
, in Sutherland, Scotland. Launch operations at
Sutherland spaceport
The Sutherland spaceport, also known as Space Hub Sutherland or UKVL Sutherland, is planned to be the first spaceport of the United Kingdom. It would be operated by a commercial entity and would employ 40 people. The spaceport will host a launc ...
will be developed by
Lockheed Martin with financial support from the British government and
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE; gd, Iomairt na Gàidhealtachd 's nan Eilean) is the development agency for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. Its role is to "hel ...
, originally with the aim of commencing operations in 2020, later delayed to 2022.
As of 2020, UKSA is supporting the development of three space launch sites in the UK. The proposed sites for spaceports, and the companies associated with them, are as follows:
*
SaxaVord Spaceport
SaxaVord Spaceport, previously known as Shetland Space Centre, is a planned spaceport to be located on the Lamba Ness peninsula on Unst, the most northerly of the Shetland Islands. The proposed site is near the RAF Saxa Vord radar station and t ...
– Unst, Shetland Islands
**
Lockheed Martin /
ABL Space Systems
ABL Space Systems is an American private company, based in El Segundo, California, undertaking launch vehicle and launch systems technology development using CNC and 3D printing and minimized launch operations. The company manufactures its com ...
*
Space Hub Sutherland
The Sutherland spaceport, also known as Space Hub Sutherland or UKVL Sutherland, is planned to be the first spaceport of the United Kingdom. It would be operated by a commercial entity and would employ 40 people. The spaceport will host a launc ...
– Sutherland, Scotland
**
Skyrora
Skyrora Ltd is a private space company based in the United Kingdom since 2017.
The company specialises in the design and manufacture of modular disassemblable rocket launch vehicles, specifically for the launch of small satellites, and portable ...
**
Orbex
Orbital Express Launch Ltd., or Orbex, is a United Kingdom-based aerospace company that is developing a small commercial orbital rocket called Prime. Orbex is headquartered in Forres, Moray, in Scotland and has subsidiaries in Denmark and Germany ...
*
Spaceport Cornwall – Newquay Airport, Cornwall, England
**
Virgin Orbit
Virgin Orbit is a company within the Virgin Group which launch service provider, provides launch services for small satellites. On January 17, 2021, their ''LauncherOne'' rocket successfully reached orbit for the first time, and successfully dep ...
Space Industry Act 2018
In June 2017, the government introduced a bill leading to the
Space Industry Act 2018 which created a regulatory framework for the expansion of commercial space activities. This covered the development of British spaceports, for both orbital and sub-orbital activities, and launches and other activities overseas by UK entities.
Commercial and private space activities
The first Briton in space, cosmonaut-researcher
Helen Sharman
Helen Patricia Sharman, CMG, OBE, HonFRSC (born 30 May 1963) is a British chemist and cosmonaut who became the first British person, first Western European woman and first privately funded woman in space, as well as the first woman to visit ...
, was funded by a private consortium without British government assistance whilst the government of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
made up for the shortfall in the private funding. Interest in space continues in the UK's private sector, including satellite design and manufacture, developing designs for space planes and catering to the new market in
space tourism
Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism.
During the period from 2001 to 2009, seven space tourists made eight s ...
.
Project Juno
Project Juno
Project Juno was a privately funded campaign which selected Helen Sharman to be the first Briton in space.
As the United Kingdom did not, at that time, have a human spaceflight programme (until the UK joined the human spaceflight elements of ...
was a privately funded campaign, which selected
Helen Sharman
Helen Patricia Sharman, CMG, OBE, HonFRSC (born 30 May 1963) is a British chemist and cosmonaut who became the first British person, first Western European woman and first privately funded woman in space, as well as the first woman to visit ...
to be the first Briton in space. A private consortium was formed to raise money to pay the USSR for a seat on a
Soyuz Soyuz is a transliteration of the Cyrillic text Союз ( Russian and Ukrainian, 'Union'). It can refer to any union, such as a trade union (''profsoyuz'') or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Сою́з Сове́тских Социалис ...
mission to the
Mir
''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...
space station. The USSR had recently flown
Toyohiro Akiyama
is a retired Japanese TV journalist and professor at Kyoto University of Art and Design. In December 1990, he spent seven days aboard the Mir space station. He became the first person of Japanese nationality to fly in space, and his space mi ...
, a Japanese
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
, by a similar arrangement.
A call for applicants was publicised in the UK resulting in the selection of four astronauts: Helen Sharman, Major Timothy Mace, Clive Smith and Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Gordon Brooks. Sharman was eventually chosen for the first of what was hoped to be a number of flights with Major Timothy Mace as her backup. The cost of the flight was to be funded by various innovative schemes, including sponsoring by private British companies and a lottery system. Corporate sponsors included
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marcon ...
,
Memorex
Memorex Corp. began as a computer tape producer and expanded to become both a consumer media supplier and a major IBM plug compatible peripheral supplier. It was broken up and ceased to exist after 1996 other than as a consumer electronics bran ...
, and
Interflora
Interflora is a flower delivery network, associated with over 58,000 affiliated flower shops in over 140 countries. It is a subsidiary of Teleflora, a subsidiary of The Wonderful Company.
History
In 1920 a florist, Joe Dobson, of Leighton's ...
, and television rights were sold to
ITV.
Ultimately the Juno consortium failed to raise the entire sum and the USSR considered canceling the mission. It is believed that
Mikhail Gorbachev directed the mission to proceed at Soviet cost.
Sharman was launched aboard
Soyuz TM-12 on 18 May 1991, and returned aboard
Soyuz TM-11
Soyuz TM-11 was the eleventh expedition to the Russian Space Station Mir, using a Soyuz-TM crew transport vessel. The mission notably carried a Japanese television reporter from Tokyo Broadcasting System.The mission report is available here: htt ...
on 26 May 1991.
Surrey Satellite Technology
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, or SSTL, is a company involved in the manufacture and operation of small satellites. A spin-off company of the University of Surrey, it is presently wholly owned by Airbus Defence and Space.
The company began ou ...
(SSTL) is a large spin-off company of the
University of Surrey, now fully owned by
Airbus Defence & Space, that builds and operates
small satellites
A small satellite, miniaturized satellite, or smallsat is a satellite of low mass and size, usually under . While all such satellites can be referred to as "small", different classifications are used to categorize them based on mass. Satellites ca ...
. SSTL works with the UK Space Agency and takes on a number of tasks for the UKSA that would be done in-house by a traditional large government space agency.
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is an American spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson and his British Virgin Group retains an 11.9% stake through Virgin Investments Limited. It is headquartered in California, and operates from New Mexico. The compan ...
, a US company within the British-based
Virgin Group
Virgin Group Ltd. is a British multinational venture capital conglomerate founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell in February 1970.
Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by the Companies House, who class it as a holding co ...
owned by Sir
Richard Branson, is taking reservations for suborbital space flights from the general public. Its operations will use
SpaceShipTwo
The Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo (SS2) is an air-launched suborbital spaceplane type designed for space tourism. It is manufactured by The Spaceship Company, a California-based company owned by Virgin Galactic.
SpaceShipTwo is ...
space planes designed by
Scaled Composites
Scaled Composites (often called simply Scaled) is an American aerospace company founded by Burt Rutan and currently owned by Northrop Grumman. It is located at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California, United States. Founded to deve ...
, which has previously developed the Ansari X-Prize winning
SpaceShipOne
SpaceShipOne is an experimental air-launched rocket-powered aircraft with sub-orbital spaceflight capability at speeds of up to 3,000 ft/s (900 m/s, 3240 km/h), using a hybrid rocket motor. The design features a unique " feathering ...
.
British contribution to other space programmes
Communication and tracking of rockets and satellites in orbit is achieved using stations such as
Jodrell Bank
Jodrell Bank Observatory () in Cheshire, England, hosts a number of radio telescopes as part of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester. The observatory was established in 1945 by Bernard Lovell, a radio astro ...
. During the
Space Race
The Space Race was a 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the t ...
,
Jodrell Bank
Jodrell Bank Observatory () in Cheshire, England, hosts a number of radio telescopes as part of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester. The observatory was established in 1945 by Bernard Lovell, a radio astro ...
and other stations were used to track several satellites and probes including
Sputnik and
Pioneer 5
''Pioneer 5'' (also known as Pioneer P-2, and Able 4, and nicknamed the "Paddle-Wheel Satellite") was a spin-stabilized space probe in the NASA Pioneer program used to investigate interplanetary space between the orbits of Earth and Venus. It ...
.
As well as providing tracking facilities for other nations, scientists from the United Kingdom have participated in other nation's space programmes, notably contributing to the development of
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
's early space programmes, and co-operation with Australian launches.
The
Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, invented
carbon fibre
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
composite material. The
Saunders-Roe SR.53
The Saunders-Roe SR.53 was a British prototype interceptor aircraft of mixed jet and rocket propulsion developed for the Royal Air Force (RAF) by Saunders-Roe in the early 1950s. As envisaged, the SR.53 would have been used as an interceptor a ...
Rocket/jet plane in 1957 used the newly invented silver peroxide catalyst rocket engine.
The concept of the
communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth ...
was by
Arthur C. Clarke.
British astronauts
Because the British government has never developed a crewed spaceflight programme and initially did not contribute funding to the crewed space flight part of ESA's activities, the first six British
astronauts launched with either the American or Soviet/Russian space programmes. Despite this, on 9 October 2008, British Science and Innovation Minister
Lord Drayson
Paul Rudd Drayson, Baron Drayson (born 5 March 1960), is a British businessman, amateur racing driver and Labour politician. He was Minister of Science in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills until May 2010, where he replaced I ...
spoke favourably of the idea of a British astronaut.
Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps:
* Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army
* Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941)
* United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...
test pilot
Tim Peake
Major Timothy Nigel Peake (born 7 April 1972) is a British Army Air Corps officer, European Space Agency astronaut and a former International Space Station (ISS) crew member.
He is the first British ESA astronaut, the second astronaut to b ...
became a member of the
European Astronaut Corps
The European Astronaut Corps is a unit of the European Space Agency (ESA) that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members on U.S. and Russian space missions. The corps has 13 active members, able to serve on the International Space St ...
in 2009, and then in 2015 the first astronaut funded by the British government when he reached the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ( ...
aboard a Soyuz rocket launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.
To date, six UK-born British citizens
and one non-UK-born British citizen have flown in space:
Potential astronauts
US Air Force Colonel
Gregory H. Johnson
Gregory Harold "Box" Johnson (born May 12, 1962) is a former NASA astronaut and a retired colonel in the United States Air Force. Johnson is a veteran of two space flights, STS-123 and STS-134. He served as pilot on his first mission, which del ...
served as pilot on two
''Endeavour'' missions (
STS-123 and
STS-134
STS-134 ( ISS assembly flight ULF6) was the penultimate mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the 25th and last spaceflight of . This flight delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier to the Internationa ...
). Although born in the UK while his father was stationed at a US Air Force base, he has never been a British citizen and is not otherwise associated with the UK. He is sometimes incorrectly listed as a British astronaut.
Anthony Llewellyn
John Anthony Llewellyn (22 April 1933 – 2 July 2013), was a Welsh-born American scientist and a former NASA astronaut candidate.
Biography
Llewellyn was born 22 April 1933, in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom, and graduated from Cardiff High Sc ...
(born in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, Wales) was selected as a scientist-astronaut by
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
during August 1967 but resigned during September 1968, having never flown in space.
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
Lieutenants-Colonel Anthony Boyle
Anthony Boyle (born 8 June 1994) is a Northern Irish actor. A graduate of Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Boyle began his acting career on London stage and rose to prominence for originating the role of Scorpius Malfoy in ...
(born in
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it ha ...
) and
Richard Farrimond (born in
Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...
, Cheshire),
MoD employee Christopher Holmes (born in London),
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
Commander
Peter Longhurst (born in
Staines, Middlesex) and
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Squadron Leader
Nigel Wood (born in York) were selected in February 1984 as
payload specialists for the
Skynet 4 programme, intended for launch using the Space Shuttle. Boyle resigned from the programme in July 1984 due to Army commitments. Prior to the cancellation of the missions after the
Challenger disaster
On January 28, 1986, the broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members aboard. The spacecraft disintegrated above the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:39a.m. EST (16:39 UTC). It was ...
, Wood was due to fly aboard Shuttle mission
STS-61-H in 1986 (with Farrimond serving as his back-up) and Longhurst was due to fly aboard Shuttle mission
STS-71-C in 1987 (with Holmes serving as back-up). All resigned abruptly in 1986, citing safety concerns post-Challenger.
Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps:
* Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army
* Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941)
* United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...
Major
Timothy Mace (born in
Catterick, Yorkshire) served as back-up to Helen Sharman for the
Soyuz TM-12Project Juno
Project Juno was a privately funded campaign which selected Helen Sharman to be the first Briton in space.
As the United Kingdom did not, at that time, have a human spaceflight programme (until the UK joined the human spaceflight elements of ...
mission in 1991. He resigned in 1991, having not flown. Clive Smith and
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Gordon Brooks also served for a year as back-up astronauts for the Juno flight, learning Russian and preparing the scientific programme. Sharman, Mace and Brooks were subsequently put forward by the BNSC for the European Space Corps.
Former RAF pilot
David Mackay was appointed as Chief Pilot by
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is an American spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson and his British Virgin Group retains an 11.9% stake through Virgin Investments Limited. It is headquartered in California, and operates from New Mexico. The compan ...
in 2009, and is participating in the flight test programme of the suborbital spaceplane
SpaceShipTwo
The Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo (SS2) is an air-launched suborbital spaceplane type designed for space tourism. It is manufactured by The Spaceship Company, a California-based company owned by Virgin Galactic.
SpaceShipTwo is ...
.
Singer/songwriter and actress
Sarah Brightman announced on 10 October 2012 her intention to purchase a Soyuz seat to the International Space Station as a self-funded
space tourist
Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism.
During the period from 2001 to 2009, seven space tourists made eight s ...
in partnership with
Space Adventures
Space Adventures, Inc. is an American space tourism company founded in 1998 by Eric C. Anderson. Its offerings include zero-gravity atmospheric flights, orbital spaceflights (with the option to participate in a spacewalk), and other spacefl ...
. She underwent cosmonaut training with the aim of flying on
Soyuz TMA-18M
Soyuz TMA-18M was a 2015 Soyuz (spacecraft), Soyuz spaceflight to the International Space Station. It provided the two twelve-months occupants (Scott Kelly (astronaut), Scott Kelly and Mikhail Korniyenko) at the International Space Station with a ...
, but stated on 13 May 2015 that she was withdrawing "for family reasons". It is not known whether she intends to fly at a later date.
On 1 July 2021
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is an American spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson and his British Virgin Group retains an 11.9% stake through Virgin Investments Limited. It is headquartered in California, and operates from New Mexico. The compan ...
announced that Richard Branson (its founder) and Colin Bennet (the Lead Operations Engineer) would fly as part of the crew to space on
VSS Unity
VSS ''Unity'' (Virgin Space Ship Unity, Registration: N202VG), previously referred to as VSS ''Voyager'', is a SpaceShipTwo-class suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane. It is the second ''SpaceShipTwo'' to be built and is part of the ...
. Subject to the definition of space (as VSS Unity reaches above 80 km, the US government definition of space, but does not typically reach the
Karman line
Karman or Kármán is a Hungarian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Harvey Karman (20th century), inventor of the Karman cannula
* Janice Karman (born 1954), American film producer, record producer, singer, and voice artist
* J ...
) this would make them the UK's 8th and 9th astronauts.
In fiction
Notable fictional depictions of British spacecraft or Britons in space include:
* "
The First Men in the Moon
''The First Men in the Moon'' is a scientific romance by the English author H. G. Wells, originally serialised in '' The Strand Magazine'' from December 1900 to August 1901 and published in hardcover in 1901, who called it one of his "fantast ...
" by
H.G.Wells (''
The Strand Magazine
''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...
'' Originally Serialized December 1900 to August 1901 and published in hardcover in 1901).
* "
How We Went to Mars "How We Went to Mars" is a humorous short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke. It was first published in March 1938, in the third and final issue of '' Amateur Science Stories'' maganize. It follows a group of British rocket scientists wh ...
" by Sir
Arthur C. Clarke (''
Amateur Science Fiction Stories
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
'' March 1938).
* ''
Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future'' (comics, 1950–1967, 1980s).
* ''
Journey into Space
''Journey Into Space'' is a BBC Radio science fiction programme written by BBC producer Charles Chilton. It was the last UK radio programme to attract a bigger evening audience than television. Originally, four series were produced (the four ...
'' (radio, 1953–1955).
* ''
The Quatermass Experiment
''The Quatermass Experiment'' is a British science fiction serial broadcast by BBC Television during the summer of 1953 and re-staged by BBC Four in 2005. Set in the near future against the background of a British space programme, it tells th ...
'' (television, 1953).
* ''
Blast Off at Woomera
''Blast Off at Woomera'' is a children's science fiction novel, the first in the ''Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A.'' series by British author Hugh Walters. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1957, in the USA by Criterion Books in 1958 (under ...
'' by
Hugh Walters (1957).
* ''
Doctor Who'' (television) – "
The Ambassadors of Death
''The Ambassadors of Death'' is the third serial of the seventh season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in seven weekly parts on BBC1 from 21 March to 2 May 1970. Written by Trevor Ray, Te ...
" (1970), "
The Christmas Invasion
"The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2005. This episode features the first full-episode appearance of David Te ...
" (2005), "
The Waters of Mars
"The Waters of Mars" is the third episode of the 2008–2010 specials of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 15 November 2009.
The story is set on Mars in the year 2059 where t ...
" (2009).
* ''
The Goodies
The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor (17 July 1940–12 April 2020), Graeme Garden (b. 18 February 1943) and Bill Oddie (b. 7 July 1941). The trio created, wrote for and performed in their eponymous television com ...
'' - "
Invasion of the Moon Creatures" (television, 1973).
* ''
Moonbase 3
''Moonbase 3'' is a British science fiction television programme that ran for six episodes in 1973.
It was a co-production between the BBC, 20th Century Fox and the American ABC network.
Created by ''Doctor Who'' producer Barry Letts and s ...
'' (television, 1973).
* ''
Come Back Mrs. Noah'' (television, 1977).
* ''
Moonraker'' (1979).
* ''
Lifeforce'' (1985).
* ''
Star Cops'' (television, 1987).
* ''
Red Dwarf'' (television, 1988–1999, 2009).
* ''
A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit'' (short stop-motion film, 1989)
* ''
Ministry of Space'' (comics, 2001–2004).
* ''
Space Cadets (TV series)'' (television, 2005).
* ''
Hyperdrive (TV series)'' (television, 2006–2007).
* "Capsule" Sci Fi Movie (2015).
* "
Peppa Pig
''Peppa Pig'' is a British preschool animated television series by Astley Baker Davies. The show follows Peppa, an anthropomorphic female piglet, and her family, as well as her peers portrayed as other animals. The show first aired on 31 Ma ...
"— "
Grampy Rabbit in Space
Professor Grampy is an animation, animated cartoon character appearing in the ''List of Betty Boop films and appearances#Betty Boop series, Betty Boop'' series of shorts produced by Max Fleischer and released by Paramount Pictures. He appeared in ...
" Cartoon (2012).
See also
*
John Hodge (engineer)
John Dennis Hodge (10 February 1929 – 19 May 2021) was a British aerospace engineer. He worked for the CF-105 Avro Arrow jet interceptor project in Canada. When it was cancelled in 1959, he became a member of NASA's Space Task Group, which ...
– British-born aerospace engineer who worked for NASA
*
National Space Centre
The National Space Centre is a museum and educational resource covering the fields of space science and astronomy, along with a space research programme in partnership with the University of Leicester. It is located on the north side of the city ...
– visitor centre in Leicester
*
United Kingdom Space Command
United Kingdom Space Command (UKSC) is a joint command of the British Armed Forces organised under the Royal Air Force, and staffed by personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force and the British Civil Service. The UKSC has three ...
– military space command established in 2021
Notes
References
External links
UK Space Agency*
Rocketeers.co.uk– UK space news blog
*
Virgin GalacticUK made 'fundamental space mistake'BBC Report on SSTBBC, 24 March 2011 article on recent UK government announcement contrasted with recent French government funding increases.
;Other resources
* Hill, C.N., ''A Vertical Empire: The History of the UK Rocket and Space Programme, 1950–1971''
* Millard, Douglas,
An Overview of United Kingdom Space Activity 1957–1987', ESA Publications.
* Erik Seedhouse: ''Tim Peake and Britains's road to space.'' Springer, Cham 2017, .
{{DEFAULTSORT:British Space Programme
Cold War missiles of the United Kingdom
Programmes of the Government of the United Kingdom
Space research
1952 establishments in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...