Policy for the Stars: A Strategic Proposal for the UK’s Space Future

The UK stands at a crossroads: with the right leadership and policy, it can become a global space power or risk falling behind in one of the defining frontiers of our time. In space, we find more than distant stars, we find the technologies, industries, and inspiration that will define our next century. The United Kingdom must take full advantage of the possibilities presented to it by the burgeoning space sector and ensure that the UK Space Agency is not consigned to the footnotes of history. As a nation looking to make the most of its immense thought capital and prestigious education, the UK can become a significant global player in the space sector, it can no longer push such issues to the wayside. With world-class universities, a thriving startup scene, and proven aerospace capabilities, Britain has the raw materials to lead. But leadership requires focus, boldness, and direction. The greatest revolution in space travel is almost upon us, and the UK must meet it with open arms, determined minds and a belief in the unbridled possibility of it all. At The Next Frontier, we have a strong belief in the benefits and innovations brought about by space travel, and believe that by enacting these 5 policy proposals, the United Kingdom can set a course for global space leadership.

1. A Dedicated Minister for Space

The UK space sector is growing, but its strategic direction remains fragmented. Currently, oversight is split, diluting focus and slowing progress. To unlock the full potential of the UK’s space ambitions, we propose the appointment of a dedicated Minister for Space, working under the Department of Science, Innovation, and Technology. This role would serve as the central coordinator of national space policy, investment, and international collaboration and crucially, would act as a bridge between government and the rapidly expanding commercial space sector. By elevating space to a named ministerial portfolio, the UK can move from piecemeal ambition to global leadership, ensuring its decisions are fast, coordinated, and fit for the pace of the modern space race.

This would come with a variety of additional responsibilities, aside from the obvious role of ensuring space innovation and matters concerning space travel and research were managed across relevant departments. One of these additional responsibilities would be the representation of the United Kingdom in international space summits, as well as overseeing the Space Leadership Council and the Space Exploration Advisory Committee.

Through the appointment of a dedicated Minister for Space, we can ensure that the UK has a unified national policy towards space research and innovation. It also signals to those in the space industry that the UK is open to investment and stands ready to capitalise on the fantastic opportunities that the space sector can bring. Such a decision would bring global visibility and influence in the space sector, and signal that the UK is taking space travel seriously. With the minister acting as a visible and globally recognised point of contact and reference to the space industry, the UK government would be placing its mast firmly in the ground of innovation, and committing to a forward-thinking approach to space policy.

2. UK Space Leadership Charter: A Cross-Party Commitment to the Future

Long-term space policy across the world has been stunted and undermined by fractured and inconsistent political support, To ensure that the UK takes advantage of a plethora of possibilities open to it through space travel and an enhanced space programme, there needs to be a long-term commitment that outlasts a single parliament or party. Only with this can the UK propel itself to global leadership and be first in line to reap the rewards of space exploration. A cross-party commitment to ensuring the enhancement of the United Kingdom's space sector would be highly beneficial, and once again signal the UK’s willingness to take a leading role in space innovation. 

The 2040 Space Vision Commitment would be signed by all major party leaders, with the option also being extended to smaller party leaders for better legitimacy and as a signal of the UKs nationwide commitment to its ideals. The commitment would contain calls to:

• Maintain or increase public investment in the UK space sector over a 10+ year horizon

• Uphold the independence and capabilities of the UK Space Agency

• Foster international space partnerships (ESA, Artemis Accords, etc.)

• Support pro-innovation deregulation for launch, in-orbit activity, and space infrastructure

• Promote STEM education and workforce readiness for the space economy

• Encourage public-private collaboration and commercial space growth

Building upon historic precedent on issues such as climate change, and from similar space-based commitments across the globe, this would help to ensure that regardless of the party in government, the long-term future of the UK’s space vision is safe and secure under a commitment to expand and enhance it. Large infrastructure projects have a long history of being delayed and scrapped, but through the signing of this charter, there would be an iron-clad guarantee that space infrastructure would not meet the same fate. The possibilities of space are very real, and it's time that political parties across the country acknowledge this and commit to pursuing them. The progress towards the completion of this charter would be monitored in an annual report to parliament, and by an independent oversight committee comprised of industry experts and academics. This is not a party political matter, but one that will impact the entire nation for years to come. This isn’t a political gesture - it’s a generational responsibility.

3. Expand and Localise Space Infrastructure

The United Kingdom currently funds and maintains Spaceport Cornwall & SaxaVord spaceport, which is located in the Shetlands. Though this is certainly a great start to ensuring the UK stands ready to take advantage of the benefits of space innovation, there is certainly more work to be done to ensure that our domestic capability is strengthened. 

To boost domestic capability and regional growth within the UK, there should be an expansion of such space innovation centers to include regional space innovation hubs in Wales, Northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Such hubs would work collaboratively with local universities and spaced based initiatives to enhance the R&D capabilities of the entire country, whilst still maintaining a totally national outlook in which no area is left behind. The road to global space leadership requires input from every corner of our United Kingdom, ensuring that the brightest minds and the most determined spirits are working in tandem to ensure the UK benefits from space innovation. These innovation hubs would remove the overbearing governmental oversight and allow innovation and forward thinking research to flourish.

Such hubs would supercharge UK based space sector startups, and would provide a clear pathway for university students and apprentices to work on the projects that are at the forefront of the UKs space efforts. University led initiatives such as incubators and skills workshops would be embedded in their respective innovation hub, bringing together all strands of space innovation and supercharging the hubs to demonstrate their capabilities and benefits. There would also be a UK Space Innovation Forum allowing for all hubs to demonstrate their innovation and work, highlighting the collaborative nature of such hubs and boosting the profile of startups. This move would demonstrate once again the UKs willingness to work with private space companies to bring about innovations that would bring about global benefits and help to usher in a new space revolution, with the UK at the vanguard of such efforts.

4. Create a UK Space Innovation Acceleration Fund

Building on the precedent set by other acceleration funds that exist both nationally and in countries across the globe, we propose a space-specific UK Space Innovation Acceleration Fund.  This fund would have the explicit aim of investing in UK-based startups and initiatives that are pursuing cutting-edge research and projects in areas such as lunar robotics, AI-led space innovation, and other such advanced launch systems. This would allow the UK to accelerate the frontlines of space research and begin the trajectory towards Mars and beyond. The fund will de-risk bold innovation, support startups and scale-ups, and catalyse UK leadership in space technologies that can transform both our space capabilities and broader economic output.

The UK has globally recognised world world-leading academic institutions and scientific development. However,  what it is lacking is risk-tolerant investment capital that would supercharge space innovation projects and firmly place the UK in the upper pantheon of global space leadership. The UK Space Innovation Acceleration fund would be a £750 million public investment vehicle modelled on the successful NASA Tipping Point system, in which breakthrough projects are funded and supported independently of more incremental R&D. The baseline funding would come from the UK Government, with outside investment coming from Venture Capital firms, Private Equity and other such private sector investment vehicles. Such an investment would be under the auspices of a specialised department within the UK Space Agency, and would have the support of the Minister for Space. Such a fund would go a long way to unlock entrepreneurship in the space sector, providing funding for those who are challenging the very concept of space exploration and pursuing lofty innovation at the forefront of the space revolution. It would lead to numerous UK-based space startups and increase VC and private sector confidence in the commitment of the UK to levelling up its capabilities and willingness to see outside investment in its space sector. For too long, the UK has allowed riskier investment to go the way of Silicon Valley, but fortune favours the bold, and this cannot continue any longer. Britain doesn’t just need a space strategy it needs a risk strategy. The Space Innovation Acceleration Fund is how we back the boldest ideas before the rest of the world does.

5. Double Down on Space Skills & Education

The UK’s long-term space ambitions require more than rockets; they need minds.

To secure the workforce of tomorrow and build a culture of science and innovation, we propose the launch of UK Space Week: a nationwide, annual celebration of space technology, research, and careers. Aligned with this will be a strengthened national space curriculum, equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and ambition to enter the space industry. Together, these initiatives will ensure space is not only seen in the sky but felt in classrooms, museums, and local communities across the UK.

By launching a National Space Skills Pipeline we will be able to create a clear pathway from apprenticeships, university students and retraining programmes to space startups, UKSA and the wider effort to ensure the UK becomes an internationally recognised space leader. This effort would be coupled with a UK Space Fellowship programme aimed at funding space-related PhD research and enhancing the UK's capacity for international collaboration on space-based ventures and innovation. It is also paramount that efforts aimed at higher education are replicated at lower educational levels. This is why there should be the implementation of a National Space Curriculum to ignite interest in space and space innovation from a young age. This would see the integration of space-related modules and lessons across STEM subjects, and digital skills workshops in partnership with the National Space Academy and UKSA. It would also see the encouragement of space-based storytelling in primary school, with basic recounts of space travel, such as the Apollo missions working to make students interested in space exploration and innovation from a young age. This would complete the pipeline from primary education, to higher education and eventually to beyond the stars and into a new age of innovation and progress.

These efforts would be supported by a National Space Week, which would be an annual government-backed week coordinated by UKSA, the Department for Education, and BEIS. To ensure that the week remains engaging and insightful, it would be partnered by local councils, museums, universities and space companies, showing students that space innovation is happening right now, in their areas and is firmly in their future. The week would feature talks from astronauts, features on UK-based space missions and companies, and a plethora of space-based education to reinforce the endless possibilities that space can give. Such an effort would help to reach communities across the United Kingdom and allow for the democratisation of space knowledge and interests. It doesn't matter where you are, who you are or where you come from; the mission to go further than anyone has ever gone before encapsulates us all.

The space economy won’t be built in labs alone; it begins in classrooms, libraries, and imagination. UK Space Week is where futures lift off. Space is no longer a distant domain reserved for superpowers; it is the new strategic frontier, and the UK has every capability to lead. With world-class research institutions, a thriving commercial sector, and a growing public appetite for innovation, the foundations are in place. What’s needed now is the political will, long-term vision, and national coordination to turn possibility into presence.

These policy proposals are not just technical recommendations, they are a call to believe in the UK’s role in shaping the future. To inspire a new generation of engineers, scientists, thinkers, and dreamers. To build an economy not just of efficiency, but of ambition. To ensure that as humanity steps further into the stars, the Union Flag is there not just stitched on a spacesuit, but embedded in the systems, strategies, and spirit that got us there. The UK has led the world in discovery before. With clarity of purpose and confidence in its people, it can do so again this time, among the stars.