(Bloomberg) — A new UK-US space partnership will help make commercial launches from both countries cheaper and easier, the British government said.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps signed a declaration with his US counterpart Pete Buttigieg to work together on future missions, in a move that aims to cut red tape and reduce costs and duplication.
The deal lays the foundation for “rockets, high-altitude balloons and space planes to lift off from space ports across the UK very soon,” Britain’s transport department said in an emailed statement.
It comes as the UK prepares to make its first domestic launch this year from Spaceport Cornwall. Virgin Orbit will launch a satellite into space using a modified Boeing 747 plane.
“With seven spaceports being developed across the UK, the space industry is already injecting billions into our economy, while offering high-skilled jobs,” Shapps said in the statement.
The deal will “significantly boost opportunities for both UK and US companies to operate from respective spaceports, introducing new customers and revenues to each country,” the UK transport department said.
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