Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay has welcomed news today of a new treaty signed between the UK and USA which will enable U.S. companies to participate in space launches from the United Kingdom.
The Agreement means US space and technology companies throughout the supply chain can contribute to and benefit from the commercial opportunities offered by the UK space sector which already employs 42,000 people and generates an income of £14.8 billion each year.
Commenting, Steve said:
“Today’s announcement is great news and brings the reality of Spaceport Cornwall closer still.”
“I am pleased that the Government has already awarded grants totalling nearly £40 million to establish commercial vertical and horizontal small satellite launch from UK spaceports and put in place the necessary regulation to enable the first launches to take place in the early 2020’s and hope to see Cornwall leading the way when it comes to lift-off!”
Commenting, Science Minister Amanda Solloway said:
This deal with the US takes us one step closer to seeing the first ever launch into space from British soil.
This is a key moment for our commercial space industry, and I look forward to seeing companies from Scotland to Newquay benefiting, and the creation of highly skilled jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.
Commenting, Karen Pierce, UK Ambassador to the US said:
“This agreement marks an exciting new area for UK-US space collaboration and represents a significant step towards US companies launching from UK spaceports.”
“The commercial space sector already represents hundreds of millions of dollars in trade between our two countries each year, as well as thousands of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. This new agreement will generate further growth and prosperity for both our countries.”