10th December 2020 Geneva, Switzerland
Back in August, I posted a blog about the launch of our new initiative on outer space security at the UN General Assembly. Throughout September and into October we were busy consulting UN member states on the text – bilaterally, in small groups, and in consultations open to the whole membership – and making adjustments […]
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6th June 2019 Geneva, Switzerland
I spent part of last week at the Space Security Conference run by the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, which has become something of an annual fixture. It was excellent – the organisers brought together an amazing group of speakers from governments, academia, the media and industry, and I came away with a far better […]
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20th September 2017 Vienna, Austria
When I was posted to Vienna in the 1980s, one of my unofficial roles at parties where foreigners were present was, as a German speaker, to go to the door when the police arrived to ask us to turn the music down. The police often arrived at 22.00 after receiving complaints from the neighbours. Generally […]
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31st May 2017 Vienna, Austria
Where did Douglas Adams get the idea for his improbably brilliant book “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”? The answer is… Innsbruck. Eagle-eyed colleagues in the Vienna Embassy have brought to my attention a “Guardian” article of 3 February 2011: Douglas Adams and the cult of 42. The article records a letter of thirty years […]
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13th October 2016 Bangalore, India
Some say we are in or entering the age of the robots. Why? Because robots are transforming the way we work and live – from manufacturing to farming, space exploration to surgical operations, cleaning our homes to entertaining us. The UK has a rich and colourful story in producing and shaping robotic technologies. The Eric, […]
25th February 2016 London, UK
The UK and UAE Space Agencies this week signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create a strategic space partnership. This will open the way for extensive cooperation between our two countries in space research, scientific missions and the search for popular applications. The MoU was signed bu UK Space Agency Chief Executive, Dr David Parker, […]
19th January 2016 Beijing, China
Within UKTI, the Advanced Manufacturing and Transport team have responsibility for the Space sector and we work very closely with the SIN team in this and other areas of technological innovation. Last weekend I and my colleague Li Qian accepted the invitation from China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC – a subsidiary of China Aerospace […]
11th January 2016 Houston, USA
This blog is the final blog in a three-part series on the UK Space Sector. (A Space Blogyssey Pt. 1 & A Space Blogyssy Pt. 2) It is hard to believe that we are almost 60 years away from the first age of space exploration, marked by the launch of Sputnik in 1957. As the […]
8th September 2015 San Francisco, USA
with contributions by Patricia Gruver The exploration of space has gone from science fiction to reality. The 20th century saw a massive expansion in space exploration and technological development, which has continued unabated into the 21st century. The UK is one of the global leaders in the continued advancement of space, reinforcing its commitment to […]
8th September 2015 Los Angeles, USA
with contributions by Stefania Di Mauro-Nava *This is part 2 of a multi-part blog series on the UK space sector* Led by Innovate UK, with support from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and the UK Science and Innovation Network (UK SIN), nine representatives from UK-based start-ups in the space and nanosatellite applications sector got the […]