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 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."
What is the Copernicus programme?
EU project that is being procured with European Space Agency help
Pulls together all Earth-monitoring data, from space and the ground
Will use a range of spacecraft – some already up there, others yet to fly
Expected to be invaluable to scientists studying climate change
Important for disaster response – earthquakes, floods, fires etc
Data will also help design and enforce EU policies: fishing quotas etc