UK Space Agency

The UK Space Agency was publicly announced by UK Minister of State for Science and Innovation Lord Drayson on December 10, 2009, officially established at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre on March 23, 2010, and became a full executive agency on April 1, 2011. The agency replaced the British National Space Centre and consolidated various separate sources of space-related funding into a unified organization responsible for coordinating UK civil space activities. Headquartered at Harwell, Oxfordshire—part of the UK Space Gateway hosting start-ups, the Satellite Applications Catapult, RAL Space, and ESA's ECSAT Facility—the UK Space Agency also maintains offices in Cardiff, Leicester, and Edinburgh. For 2025-26, the agency received a £681.3 million allocation from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), representing a 10% increase from the previous year's £618.2 million. Over 80% of the budget supports UK participation in the European Space Agency (ESA), where Britain is a major contributor and program participant. The UK Space Agency has catalyzed significant private sector investment, generating £2.2 billion in 2024/25 and securing £844 million in ESA contracts for UK industry between 2022-2024 (with additional €134 million secured in 2024/25 alone). The agency is working toward delivering the UK's first domestic orbital launches from spaceports in Scotland and Cornwall by 2025-2026, advancing national active debris removal missions, and participating in major international programs including the International Space Station, Mars sample return, and lunar exploration. In August 2025, the UK government announced the agency would be absorbed into DSIT in April 2026, though it will retain its name and mission.