NAO Review Points to Gaps in UK Gov’t Space Undertakings

24th Jul 2024
NAO Review Points to Gaps in UK Gov’t Space Undertakings

The National Audit Office (NAO) released a report on its review of The National Space Strategy
and the role of the UK Space Agency. The NAO found that a combination of a broad, unfocused remit and understaffing are hampering an overall best effort. What’s more, the UK’s contributions to ESA were not generating good value for money and that the UK lagged countries such as Italy in this regard.

Orbital Today will examine the report (available here) in detail after the Farnborough International Airshow closes.

NAO Findings

Among the findings are that:

  • The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (which includes UKSA) does not have a good understanding of the total government funding for civil space across all public bodies;
  • 85% of UKSA funding (£553 million) was on European Space Agency (ESA) programmes in 2022-23;
  • The return on contributions to ESA rose from £0.93 in 2021 to £0.96 in 3Q 2023.

It is important to point out that improvements in performance by UK Space Agency were noted throughout the report, and that the report includes recommendations (with dates) for further action.

Response from UK Space Agency

Orbital Today reached out to the UK Space Agency, and a spokesperson for the UK Space Agency said: 

“The NAO report highlights the UK Space Agency’s proactive work to align its activities to government priorities, implement a comprehensive transformation programme and improve its culture, and it also identifies a series of challenges.

The government will respond formally to the report in due course.”

ESA praises UK for contributions and achievements

Meanwhile, during his address at the 2024 Farnborough Airshow earlier this week, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher highlighted the UK’s contribution and achievements under ESA, as one of its founding members in 1975.

“The UK is the fourth largest member state of visa [and contributes] about 9% of the ESA budget, and I have to say thank you to the UK Government, as it keeps increasing,” he said, pointing to the fact that the UK has increased its contributions twice since 2021.

He noted that the UK’s “industry and academic excellence” has “permitted ESA to succeed in many ways”, pointing to the UK’s recent participation in both the Euclid and JUICE missions.

“The UK is very actively engaged in 5g and 6g in-space quantum technologies, and artificial intelligence,” he added.

Aschbacher acknowledged that “quite a number” of ESA astronauts hold UK passports, and that there is a “very long list” of UK-led programs and UK participation in key international space programs, such as the Artemis program.

“And let’s not forget about the James Webb Space Telescope, where one of the instruments again was led by UK industry and UK scientists,” he added.

ESA also announced at Farnborough 2024, the expansion of its European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) centre in Harwell, with a view to double its workforce there by 2030.

“We would like to give [ECSAT] even more energy in the next 10 years,” Aschbacher said.

“We are looking into new multi-disciplinary activities to grow the site in the coming years.”

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