membership > United Kingdom Industrial Space Committee > UKspace membership benefits

UKspace's Main Committee meets six times a year. Its remit is to:

• consider high level policy and issues
• set the scope and objectives for actions to be undertaken in the interests of members
• task and review the work of subordinate committees approve budgets.

Sub-committees represent specific sub-sectors, namely:

• Earth Observation Applications and Missions Sub-Committee
• Research and Technology Sub-Committee
• Security and Defence Sub-Committee
• Satellite Navigation Sub-Committee
• Satellite Telecommunications Sub-Committee
• Space Science Sub-Committee.

In addition two working groups cover the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme and Meteorological issues respectively.

Membership is drawn from full and associate members and may be augmented by co-opted non-UKspace specialists. Tasks include producing high level policy and position papers on key issues and monitoring the work of and interacting with relevant organisations.

UKspace is strongly represented on all BNSC Advisory Boards and works with the all-party Parliamentary Space Committee representing the views of the space industry as a whole to government. There are frequent ministerial and official briefings and regular liaison with European and other international agencies, space manufacturing facilities, space centres and the International Space Conference.

UKspace members regularly represent the UK space industry at major international exhibitions and seminars. For example, at Farnborough International 2006, the SBAC sponsored the International Space Pavilion at the Show. This was a major and highly successful activity in a dedicated hall and exhibitors included BNSC, NASA, ESA, and UK, European and US industry.

UKspace supports its members on outward missions - most recently in Japan, Korea, the USA and China and provides opportunities for members to present to incoming missions from overseas agencies - most recently from Brazil, Argentina, Japan and China. UKspace works closely with the BNSC in other export related initiatives and with the SBAC on export control issues.

UKspace organises key conferences, seminars and briefings for members, for example following each main committee meeting a senior figure from the UK or international space community addresses members over lunch and takes part in informal discussions, under Chatham House rules (i.e. on a non-attributable basis).