London Conference Focused on Space Technologies in the Economic Recovery

October 28, 2009 at 10:45 am | Posted in Space Law | Leave a comment

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

From EARSC:

Conference held in London focuses on role of space technology in economic recovery and combating climate change

While the UK government might be considering stringent cuts in public spending to help reduce the deficit and promote recovery, it seems that investment in space exploration is still on the cards as some experts believe it can actually help boost the economy and combat climate change.

In a statement released this week, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) said that the UK was proud to be host the tenth annual European Inter-parliamentary Space Conference (EISC) held in London earlier this week, which saw experts discuss aspects of space policy including its role in innovation. “It’s fitting for the UK to host the European Inter-parliamentary Space Conference this year,” said business minister Pat McFadden. “Space contributes some £6.5bn a year and this figure is forecast to grow by around five percent every year until 2020.”

According to the BIS, European programmes account for around 70 percent of the UK’s civil spending on space, while the UK has committed €924m to European Space Agency programmes over the next two years. Ian Taylor MP, chairman of the EISC and co-chairman of the Parliamentary Space Committee said the conference was a chance to discuss the future of Europe’s space strategy. “This is our platform to debate amongst Parliamentarians from the leading nations in Europe what direction we want Europe to take in space.” . . . [Full Story]