The United Kingdom joins the Space Race!
The United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA) has been founded today. Gene Kernworth, Agency Chief Exec, gave us his plans and Year 1 budget.
' Today the United Kingdom will join NASA and Soviet programs in the quest for space. For a too long we have stood on the sideline while the US and USSR make groundbreaking developments which British minds could of and should of made, We stand by no longer with the founding of the UKSA. Our goals are to rise through the sky with British built and designed rockets, enter space with the union jack, taking our place in the solar system as one of the leading pioneers of space. And with those goals here is the year 1 budget on the program.
A total budget of £255 Million which includes cooperation with NASA in the earth observation, working with UK universities in basic science, development of the UK's first launch systems and satellites, training of the newly founded UKS Astronaut corp and designing of human space flight modules. And yes I can see that our budget is small in comparison to the US and Soviet programs however by the end of the year we aim to successfully send a British satellite into orbit using British launch systems. We already have begun tests of a Light Launch Vehicle (LLV) called Longbow 1 which we hope to launch with the WCSAT (Weather and Climate Satellite) in the near future.
I thank you all for your time in coming to this unveiling and I hope that to call you soon with the news of our success, Good night to you all'