Lord Callanan, Minister for Aviation and lead minister in the House of Lords for the Space Industry Bill, along with Vicky Ford MP, Member of Parliament for Chelmsford and senior executives from the UK Space Agency and leading UK space companies, visited Teledyne e2v today for a tour of its world-leading facilities and to discuss Teledyne’s contribution to the UK space economy and the importance of the Space Industry Bill.
The purpose of the Space Industry Bill is to boost the economy, British business, engineering and science by making the UK the most attractive place in Europe for commercial spaceflight.
Lord Callanan was making his first visit to the company, following his appointment as Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport) in June 2017, to hear first-hand industry’s views on the Bill and the size of the opportunity that flows from having the legislation in place. Consulting with the industry leaders present from Teledyne, Airbus, Thales, SSTL, Qinetiq, Reaction Engines, Bird and Bird and Space Applications Catapult is considered essential to maximise the opportunity for the UK.
During a tour of Teledyne e2v, Lord Callanan was briefed on the growth opportunities being realised by Teledyne businesses working closely together to supply a wide range of imaging solutions, as well as new imaging technology developments for commercial space applications and the industrialisation of Quantum Technologies. He also saw the imaging sensors under manufacture for the recently awarded planet-hunting PLATO mission for the European Space Agency and new RF Power systems for radiotherapy cancer treatment. Lord Callanan also met and spoke with employees, including some of Teledyne e2v’s latest intake of apprentices and graduates working across Teledyne e2v’s range of high precision products and services.
Miles Adcock, President of Space Imaging at Teledyne e2v, said “I am delighted that Lord Callanan chose to visit Teledyne e2v to see our world class imaging capabilities and facilities and to witness the significant contribution that Teledyne e2v is making to help ensure the UK captures a share of the emerging global space market”.
Lord Callanan said “It was fantastic to see first-hand how Teledyne e2v is developing space-related technologies in the UK. Companies like this create highly-skilled jobs in the local area and inspire the next generation of British scientists and engineers. Commercial space flight is forecast to be worth over £25 billion globally over the next 20 years and through our landmark Space Industry Bill we are determined to make sure Britain is at the forefront of this exciting new sector”.
Chelmsford MP Vicky Ford said “Britain is a world leader in the satellite industry and I am delighted to bring the Minister and leading companies from the industry to Teledyne e2v in Chelmsford. The Space Industry Bill and its supporting legislation is a key enabler to the Government’s ambitions for the space sector and forms an integral part of the space sector deal and UK industrial strategy.”
Teledyne e2v is a key supplier of imaging solutions and systems for a wide variety of applications from the largest visible ground based telescopes, the highest definition pictures of our planet, to comet chasing probes.
