Government backing of the North East’s burgeoning space industry would could act as a catalyst for its growth, a regional body has said.
The North East Space Leadership Group (NESLG) was responding to a parliamentary committee’s review of the Government’s response to recommendations it set out last year. John Bone, chair of the NESLG, which includes representatives from business, politics and academia, said its plans to establish a North East Space Hub would benefit from state assistance.
The calls came in response to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee’s comments on Government progress against a series of recommendations laid out in a report which branded the approach to space policy as “disjointed and unclear” and said funding for regional space clusters was limited. Committee chair Greg Clark indicated there was still some way to go – criticising lack of action on the UK’s Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) capabilities having lost access to the EU’s Galileo System and a lack of transparency about the Government’s acquisition of satellite communications company OneWeb.
Source: Chronicle Live
