Space launch points way ahead
Business Secretary Peter Mandelson and Major Timothy Peake, an astronaut training with the European Astronaut Corps, launched the UK Space Agency in London yesterday and announced a new £40m International Space Innovation Centre at Harwell.
The Union Flag has been morphed into a soaring arrow but the accent at yesterday's launch in London was on the dry realities of economics, although Science Minister Lord Drayson confessed that he would "like to see human beings living on Mars".
Britain's mini-version of Nasa will take over from the soon-to-be defunct British National Space Centre (BNSC) and will operate initially from Swindon. The industry already contributes around 6bn a year to the economy but could grow to 40bn.