Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support the space sector in the North East of England.

This year the UK Space Agency has awarded £335,000 funding to the North East space cluster, including to the North East Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications, which is unlocking new opportunities in the North East and to date has helped to secure £12m investment into the region.

The UK Space Agency has also invested £5.7 million into Northumbria University since 2020 through its National Space Innovation Programme to develop the world’s first commercially available laser-based satellite communication system.