Science

UK may never recover 1.2bn bought EU Galileo satellite system

The UK may never claw back 1.2bn of purchase of Galileo, the EU’s sat nav system, as Theresa May officially pulled the plug on UK defence and security participation within the system after Brexit.

Galileo, developed to be a rival for the US Global positioning system, can be due to be launched in 2020 with civilian and military variants. The UK’s continued involvement, as a result of extent of British funding of the system, have been in the middle of a lot of the bitterest rows in the Brexit negotiations.

Britain has now contributed 1.2bn towards production of Galileo, that have an total cost of 9bn, but the EU initiated a policy of to exclude Britain from your security elements of its development.

British army were because of get access to Galileo’s encrypted system when it is fully operational in 2026. However, government and security agencies have concluded it wouldn’t stay in britain’s security interests to work with the system’s secure elements whether or not it wasn’t fully involved with their development.

The text of your political declaration that may secured with Brussels a while back on the future relationship gave only one terse one-line statement on future cooperation. “The parties should evaluate appropriate arrangements for cooperation on space,” it said.

On Friday, May officially announced how the UK would be removing with the system making it no reference to any make an attempt to recoup the UK’s investment.

“The commission decided that many of us is barred from having full facets of the Galileo programme so it is right for us to watch out for alternatives as it will be wrong to set our [armed] services counting on a process on which they couldn’t ensure,” May told reporters in Buenos Aires while attending the G20 summit. “That may not be in the national interest.”

She added: “So what exactly is in the national interest is to state no, have not allowed us full access, so that we will experience a substitute, i will consider alternative options, we have been doing realistically work but we shall talk with other international partners to do so at the same time.”

Whitehall sources said the situation in the 1.2bn was to be finally resolved considering that the UK could still prefer to be involved with commercial elements of the unit.

“We might be discussing our past contributions towards financing of Galileo inside the upcoming talks,” a senior UK official said.

Downing Street said great britain would explore choices to build a Global Navigation Satellite system that can help guide military drones, run energy networks as well as other commercial uses. May said england had “world-class engineers and steadfast allies worldwide. We’re not next to options.”

Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary, said the creation of a fresh system would be a way to use British skills and knowledge satellite technology. “Space poses a whole new and increasingly dangerous front for warfare and it is critical to push ahead with plans for that own world-class, independent satellite system,” he was quoted saying.

Signs that this UK had accepted it might be forced outside the system were apparent in August should the UK Space Agency announced a 92m feasibility study of any national solution to the Galileo programme. Number 10 said many key contracts were now being tendered.

The government now plans for possible collaboration at a new system with other countries such as those involved with the FiveEyes intelligence alliance and hopes to specific British overseas territories and Crown dependencies to get a global network of locations needed for infrastructure and worldwide coverage.

The continuing development of the system could be raised in various bilateral meetings May hold with world leaders on Saturday in the G20 summit in Argentina. The number one minister will come across her Canadian and Australian counterparts, Justin Trudeau and Scott Morrison respectively. Both countries are members of the FiveEyes alliance.

This short article was corrected on 1 December 2018. Justin Trudeau will be the prime minister of Canada, not obama.

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