MPs urge Britain to expand into space travel and tourism after Major Tim Peake’s success
Italy, France and Germany have their own space programmes
BRITAIN should build its own fleet of spaceships to ferry tourists around the solar system, MPs will today demand.
After astronaut Major Tim Peake’s success, the Science and Technology Committee are urging Britain to grow its share of the space market by sending “space planes” and rockets into orbit.
Chairwoman Nicola Blackwood insists the UK needs to broaden its horizons to keep up with countries like Italy, France and Germany – who all have their own national space programmes.
She said: “For the last six months, attention has rightly been focused on Major Tim Peake and Britain’s role in human space flight.
“The UK has, so far, only taken small steps towards launching a national space programme that would enable our innovative space and satellite industries to get the ‘flight heritage’ they need.”
MPs said a UK spaceport should have both a horizontal and vertical launch capacity.
Ms Blackwood added: “The Government’s plans for a UK spaceport will help keep the UK at the forefront of developments in spaceplane technology.
“It is a bold ambition but it now needs solid action. The Government’s technical requirements for the spaceport have focused on establishing a horizontal launch capacity for suborbital flights, without a vertical launch capacity.
“These narrow parameters risk limiting the use, and value, of the spaceport to the space and satellite industry.”
The UK space economy has an £11.8billion turnover and employs more than 35,000 people.
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