The U.K. Space Agency will be integrated into the Department of Science Innovation and Technology to help streamline the agency’s support to the British space sector and eliminate bureaucratic red tape.
The U.K. government said Wednesday that UKSA will join DSIT starting April 2026 and retain its name, with its staff drawn from both organizations. The integration, part of the Plan for Change to promote government efficiency, aims to cut role duplication and ensure ministerial oversight in decision-making.
Spacecraft Partnerships
The notice coincides with the publication of 60 industry recommendations on improving regulations for space missions, including rendezvous and proximity operations, or RPOs, for work partnerships of orbiting spacecraft.
According to the government, RPO missions are key to opening a future market worth an estimated $3.6 billion by 2031, where the United Kingdom is well-positioned to pursue leadership. It noted that subsequent RPO collaboration will benefit from UKSA joining DSIT.
Unified Strategy, Policy and Delivery
No immediate changes to grants, contracts and research work with UKSA will occur with the agency’s DSIT integration.
Paul Bate, UKSA’s CEO, welcomed the development, calling it an “improved approach” for the government to achieve its space objectives. “Having a single unit with a golden thread through strategy, policy and delivery will make it faster and easier to translate the nation’s space goals into reality,” he said.