Delivering our remit: mechanisms
To enable the UK Space Agency to manage the UK’s interests in space science and exploration, advice and recommendations are sought from experts in academia, national laboratories and industry.
Mechanisms: Committees and their role
Two of the main advisory committees to the Agency are the Science Programme Advisory Committee (SPAC) and the Aurora Advisory Committee (AurAC). Individual programme Oversight Committees also help deliver projects once they are underway.
AurAC (PDF, 100 Kb) advises on the UK’s strategy and priorities for involvement within the ESA Aurora programme for long-term European exploration of our Solar System. It provides advice regarding the opportunities and benefits arising from the Aurora programme to the broader industrial and academic community and identifies, where possible, the potential funding routes for spin-off applications. The Committee briefs the UK delegates to the ESA Programme Board for Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration (PB-HME), which manages the ESA exploration programme.
SPAC (PDF, 19 Kb) provides strategic advice for the space science programme, taking account of scientific excellence, technology, industry, potential spin-off applications, science and society opportunities and education and skills. The Committee (PDF, 17 Kb) briefs UK delegates on the ESA Science Programme Committee (SPC) and subsidiary committees regarding UK priorities within the SPC remit.
Recommendations from SPAC and AurAC inform the UK Space Agency’s funding decisions, enabling the delivery of world class science and technologies for the UK. As part of the peer-review process, the Agency may also seek advice from STFC’s advisory bodies such as the Science Board. Close collaboration and consultation with STFC is particularly important when the science exploitation from an Agency-funded project will fall within STFC’s remit. Proposals for new projects are submitted to the UK Space Agency as Statements of Interest (SOIs) and detailed proposals are reviewed by the Space Projects Review Panel (SPRP).
The UK Space Agency provides funding for UK participation in space missions based on strategic priorities as identified through its advisory structure. For each such mission Oversight Committees comprised of academic and scientific mission-related experts are set up to assist with the delivery of UK programmatic, technical and financial milestones to the mission. They also provide the UK Space Agency with relevant and timely reviews of mission activities and expenditures.
View SPAC news from the Chairman.
Space Innovation Workshops
The UK Space Agency coordinates a series of Space Innovation workshops at Harwell in Oxfordshire to facilitate knowledge exchange within the UK and the wider European Space Community. Knowledge exchange is a key element in enabling emerging technology development, encouraging cross-disciplinary science and delivering economic impact to the UK.
For details of forthcoming events or to propose a future workshop please contact the
UK Space Agency events team
. Upcoming events and workshops can be found in
News & Events
.
Consulting the Community
In addition to its formal committees, the UK Space Agency engages with the UK scientific and technical communities interested in space science and exploration through various external bodies. These include SPAN, the Royal Astronomical Society and UKspace's Space Science and Exploration Committee.
The Space Action Network (SPAN) is an advisory group consisting of the heads of major space hardware groups, representatives from NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) and additional representation from industry. It provides formal inputs to reviews as required by the UK Space Agency, and more informally it delivers community perspective on Agency decisions. By providing a joint forum it seeks to ensure wide visibility and foster strong links between the space science and earth observation communities, and between academia and industry.
Download the SPAN terms of reference and membership list. (PDF, 45 Kb)
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science.
MIST (Magnetosphere, Ionosphere and Solar-Terrestrial) is an informal community of UK-based scientists with interests in physical processes within the Sun-Earth system and other planets. This includes studies of the mesosphere, ionosphere, thermosphere and magnetosphere of Earth and of other planets and the solar wind.
Ukspace is the trade association of the major UK space communities. It has a sub-group in science and exploration that meets with the UK Space Agency on a regular basis.
The UK Planetary Forum was founded in 1996 as a representative body for the UK planetary science community. Its primary aim is to promote planetary research in the UK amongst scientists. The UK Planetary Forum is affiliated with the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS).
The UK Solar Physics community (UKSP) is a Specialist Scientific Group affiliated to the Royal Astronomical Society. Over 150 UK scientists are actively investigating the dynamic evolution of our closest star using numerical, computational and observational techniques. Their website serves as a repository of information for the UKSP community.
