BBC article “UK wants continued EU Copernicus participation” featuring my photograph of the Sentinel-5P satellite for Airbus in Stevenage.
The UK has given the clearest statement yet of its desire to stay within the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation programme after Brexit.
EU member states are building the most advanced ever satellite system for monitoring the state of the planet – with Britain playing a major role.
Business Secretary Greg Clark says he wants that participation to continue.
His comments came as Airbus UK debuted the latest satellite for Copernicus known as Sentinel-5 Precursor.
This spacecraft will make global maps of gases and particles in the atmosphere to track pollution and climate change. It is set to launch on a Russian rocket in September.
“The UK-built Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite and the success of the Copernicus Programme demonstrates what we can achieve through collaboration with our European partners and the UK’s vital role in the programme thanks to our Earth observation expertise,” Mr Clark said.
“We’ve been clear that we want our companies and universities to continue participating in key EU space programmes, and through our Industrial Strategy and ongoing investment in the UK space sector, we are ensuring we have the infrastructure and skills in place to support our ambition to capture 10% of the global space market by 2030.”
Read the complete article at: BBC UK
Author: Jonathan Amos
