“The UK punches above its weight in scientific impact and in space-related industry. This should be a national success story, but instead we are facing the possibility of unsettling and destabilizing threats to funding for cutting-edge science. STFC, the research council responsible for astrophysics, along with particle physics and nuclear physics, is expecting future budgets supporting facilities like our observatories to be just 70% of the current level, a potentially devastating cut at a time where costs are increasing. The resulting loss of jobs and reduction in roles could easily amount to hundreds of roles, spread around the country, let alone the loss of scientific opportunity as telescopes, missions and laboratories are shut down. These harms will last decades, but are imposed to make short-term budgets balance.”
-Statement by Chris Lintott, Professor of Astrophysics at Oxford’s Department of Physics, in a University of Oxford publication. This follows actions last year that folded the independent UK Space Agency back into the government bureaucracy. None of this portends well for the future of the space industry in Europe. However, similar planned cuts to the US space program – in particular the space science programs – were later reversed by Congress. One can only hope down the line the UK might similarly reverse some of these draconian cuts.
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