The UK Space Agency will cease to exist as an independent entity to cut the cost of bureaucracy, the government said on Wednesday.
It will be absorbed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in April 2026.
The government says this will save money, cut duplication and ensure ministerial oversight.
But one leading space scientist said the move would lead to disruption in the short term and the UK losing ground to its international competitors over the long run.
Dr Simeon Barber of the Open University feared that scrapping UKSA would lead to Britain's space sector "losing focus".
"Around the world countries have been recognising the importance of space by setting up national space agencies, and for the government to be scrapping ours seems like a backward step," he said.
Source and further reading:
www.bbc.co.uk
It will be absorbed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in April 2026.
The government says this will save money, cut duplication and ensure ministerial oversight.
But one leading space scientist said the move would lead to disruption in the short term and the UK losing ground to its international competitors over the long run.
Dr Simeon Barber of the Open University feared that scrapping UKSA would lead to Britain's space sector "losing focus".
"Around the world countries have been recognising the importance of space by setting up national space agencies, and for the government to be scrapping ours seems like a backward step," he said.
Source and further reading:
UK independent space agency scrapped to cut costs
Britain's space agency is set to be scrapped - a scientist fears the UK space sector could fall behind as a result
www.bbc.co.uk