Beagle 2 Points The Way For UK In Space

MARSDAILY

A new dawn for British space exploration

Beagle 2 is designed to look for signs of life on Mars. It will be ejected from the Mars Express orbiter on December 19 and parachute down to the surface of the planet on Christmas Day. On touchdown, it will deploy its robotic arm and paw which includes a mole to burrow into the ground and collect soil samples. These will be analysed for signs of past and present biological activity using the lander's innovative Gas Analysis Package (GAP) developed by the Open University.

London - Dec 17, 2003
Science Minister Lord Sainsbury unveiled Tuesday the Government's new three-year space strategy, citing the Beagle 2 Mars lander as a benchmark for the UK's ambitions in space. Unveiled as the British-built lander prepares for the final stages of its journey to the Red Planet, the UK Space Strategy sets out three objectives. They are:

* Enhancing the UK's standing in astronomy, planetary and environmental sciences;
* Stimulating increased productivity through promoting the use of space in government, science and commerce; and,
* Developing innovative space technologies and systems to deliver sustainable improvement in quality of life.

Lord Sainsbury said: "A key objective to this strategy is to build on the UK's outstanding record of scientific discovery. Space is recognised as one of the essential tools that will help us understand the Earth, the Solar System and the Universe.

"The Government's decision to invest in Beagle 2 has demonstrated our commitment to achieving these aims through innovative and cutting-edge solutions. Beagle 2 is a benchmark project which will provide the UK with scientific and industrial capabilities for the future."

The strategy sets out how the UK will deliver its objectives through world-beating services and technologies and achieve greater use and market acceptance of all types of space services in the UK.

The strategy emphasises the importance of researchers and commercial companies working in close partnership to open up new opportunities in areas such as telecommunications and global positioning systems.

The UK will continue its policy of investing selectively in space and of focussing on achieving its objectives cost-effectively, and through international partnerships. The strategy is primarily focussed on the next three years, but for the first time it also sets out the long-term perspective to 2015.

The UK space industry is innovative, competitive and export-orientated. A study last year into the size and health of the industry showed that turnover had increased by 17 per cent to �2.9 billion with employment up 14 per cent. The UK has world-class expertise in many areas including telecommunications, small satellites, earth observation and radar technologies. Major growth areas are in the downstream, space services markets.

Worldwide, the market for Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology is forecast to grow by 85 per cent from 2001 to 2007. This will have a major impact on our every day lives as the technology is increasingly used in areas such as in-car navigation, aviation safety and location-based personal navigation services. Earlier this year, the Government agreed to become a major partner in the development of the European Space Agency's Galileo programme to develop its own civil satellite system for navigation, positioning and timing applications.

The UK is one of the largest European users of space in environmental science. Through the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) programmes and the Department of Trade and Industry's investments in satellites, space has become significantly more important to the national priorities for environmental research over the last 20 years. The UK's prominent role in the development of Envisat will reap future dividends for British scientists as they receive research data in the years ahead.

The UK, through the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC), is also becoming increasingly involved in a variety of space exploration missions. In addition to Beagle 2, the UK has worked with ESA to launch the SMART-1 satellite to the Moon to study the entire surface. There are also planetary missions to Venus and Saturn's moon Titan.

Last January, BNSC produced the draft UK Space Strategy to deliver three key objectives to maintain and enhance the UK as: an internationally recognised centre for world-class space and environmental sciences; a leading user of space services, stimulating increased productivity in government, science and commerce; a foremost developer of leading edge space-based systems delivering sustainable improvements in quality of life.

The UK space community, users and potential users of space services were invited to submit their comments on any aspect of the draft. Following a three-month consultation, the UK Space Strategy 2003-06 and Beyond has been published today.

The Study into the Size and Health of the UK's Space Industry was published in 2002 and is the latest in a series of in-depth reports, first commissioned by the BNSC in 1992. In a departure from previous studies and to better account for the diversity of the UK's space industry, the business categories for this latest study were expanded to include some major downstream industrial segments, including satellite communication service providers, user equipment providers and space insurance companies. This makes it the most ambitious and comprehensive survey of the UK commercial space industry to date.

UK SPACE

Lord Sainsbury Says Uk Must Seize Opportunities In Space

London - Mar 25, 2003
Science Minister Lord Sainsbury beleives the UK needs to make hard choices to achieve objectives set out in the Government's next Space Strategy. The draft strategy, unveiled in January, sets out three key priorities for the next three years to enable space to serve people as a tool for science, enterprise and the environment.

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