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TAMPA, Fla. — The United Kingdom must move swiftly to turn ambition into action after falling short of a vision outlined three years ago to become a major global space power, a cross-party parliamentary committee warned Nov. 3.
The committee of the House of Lords, the upper chamber of the country’s Parliament, published a report highlighting uneven progress since the British government released its 2021 National Space Strategy.
“Space is transforming the world, and our report found much to be positive about,” committee chair Baroness Ashton said in a statement.
“Britain should play a role in leading that transformation or risk being left behind.”
The report, ‘The Space Economy: Act Now or Lose Out,’ pointed to several bright spots for the industry. They include an early leadership position in the fledgling in-orbit servicing and manufacturing market, growing momentum behind domestic launch capabilities and a space economy that has grown an average 3.3% annually since the 2009-10 financial year.
It also hailed the creation of a National Space Operations Centre in 2024, helping align increasingly critical civil and military space situational awareness capabilities, and strong international ties, including contributions to NASA programs and a golden share in OneWeb, French operator Eutelsat’s low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband network.
However, the committee said the U.K. has broadly struggled to convert policy ambitions into tangible outcomes, citing a lack of clear priorities, coordination and long-term funding.
It warned that the country’s share of the global space economy, which UK Space Agency (UKSA) chairman Lord Willetts put at 5% during evidence to the committee in March, could erode without decisive leadership and delivery.
SpaceX dominance
A growing reliance worldwide on SpaceX launch services and its sprawling Starlink LEO broadband network featured prominently in the report.
“Whilst there is no immediate indication that the UK’s access to SpaceX’s services could be compromised, future plans for UK space capabilities should reckon with the impacts of UK dependence on SpaceX and look to ensure access to diversified and/or sovereign services where possible,” it stated.
“The Government should conduct research on the potential impacts of loss of access to SpaceX services.”
The report also called on the British government to clarify its objectives for sovereign launch capability, commercial opportunities for local launchers and whether more than one domestic spaceport is needed.
While the 2021 strategy set a goal of being a leading provider of small satellite launch services, the committee said the market opportunities remain unclear.
That national strategy also marked an official departure from the country’s earlier goal of capturing 10% of the global space economy by 2030.
“It would be wonderful if we were on 10% but we are working hard to keep it at about 5%,” Lord Willetts told the committee in March, noting that falling launch costs and advances in small satellites are rapidly expanding the global market.
“There are forecasts that, therefore, the global space economy could double or triple in size; it could double by 2030 and keep on going,” he added.
“Even modestly, just keeping up 5% is a fantastic economic opportunity for the U.K. because it is so rapidly growing.”
The committee also highlighted concerns around the recent decision to fold UKSA into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, warning it could blur accountability and diminish the agency’s operational independence as the country seeks sustained economic growth.
Charting a new path
The report also urged the government to clarify its position on post-Brexit participation in European space programs such as Galileo, the European Union’s global navigation satellite system, and other multilateral efforts that could bolster U.K. capabilities.
Among other key recommendations, the committee called for:
- Detailed, funded delivery plans for national space capabilities.
- The appointment of a dedicated Space Minister and Space Champion to coordinate policy and industry engagement.
- A reformed funding model, moving from small grants to long-term procurement that attracts private investment.
- A new Space Skills Taskforce to prioritize skills development.
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