Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans OneWeb has to manufacture satellites in the UK; when they expect any such manufacture to begin; what specific applications of OneWeb satellites they expect to benefit the UK; when they expect the development of second generation OneWeb satellites to be completed; and whether they expect the second generation OneWeb satellites to be suitable for Positioning Navigation and Timing programmes.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Details of satellite production and manufacturing are a commercial matter for the company. However, the Government would of course welcome R&D and manufacturing activity in the UK as part of efforts to grow the UK space sector.
The Space Based PNT programme is continuing to evaluate options for future PNT resilience in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 20 October 2020 (HL8804), whether the Space-Based Positioning Navigation and Timing Programme has completed its exploration of new and alternative ways to deliver satellite navigation services to the UK; if so, what the result of that exploration is; and whether OneWeb has a role in any of the options being considered.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
From October to November 2020, the UK Space Agency engaged industry and academia specialising in Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) via a Request for Information (RFI), designed to ensure a wide range of space-based concepts can be explored by the Space Based PNT Programme (SBPP).
SBPP’s analysis is ongoing and will assess how well different options meet the UK’s requirements for PNT information from space.
Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding (1) Lockheed Martin, and (2) Virgin Orbit, received from the UK Space Flight Programme, and for what purpose.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK Spaceflight Programme has provided:
Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their equity investment in OneWeb has been completed; and if not, whether there are any approvals from the government of the United States which are required before any such investment is completed.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On Friday 2 October 20, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York confirmed OneWeb’s Chapter 11 plan of reorganisation, ensuring that the company remains on target to resume full business operations imminently.
This is a major step in OneWeb’s reorganisation process, and toward HM Government’s equity investment being completed.
Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when is the Space-Based Positioning Navigation and Timing Programme due to report.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Space-Based Positioning Navigation and Timing Programme (SBPP) will explore new and alternative ways to deliver vital satellite navigation services to the United Kingdom which are critical for the functioning of transport systems, energy networks, mobile communications, national security and defence.
The new programme is developing its workstreams and a Request For Information has been sent to industry. Following this, the programme will conduct a number of assessments of potential options for a space-based position navigation and timing capability.
Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement on 24 September that they "will explore new options for a UK satellite navigation and timing capability programme to support the nation’s critical infrastructure", whether OneWeb can be used to provide such support.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Space-Based Positioning Navigation and Timing Programme (SBPP) will explore new and alternative ways to deliver vital satellite navigation services to the United Kingdom which are critical for the functioning of transport systems, energy networks, mobile communications, national security and defence.
Government investment in OneWeb was for a cutting-edge telecommunications capability based on market analysis. We have been clear that PNT service wasn't the rationale for this particular investment, but of course we are open to considering how alternative technologies including Low Earth Orbit constellations may be able to contribute to PNT resilience in the future.
Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have agreed with their investment partners that OneWeb's manufacturing capability will be brought back from the United States to the UK.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The terms of the deal offer opportunities to bring future research and development and manufacturing to the UK.
OneWeb will consider any expansion of the company and its supply chain in the UK as part of their regular business planning process.
Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a launch mechanism for OneWeb satellites which is independent of Roscosmos.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The launch manifest and the chosen launch capabilities are commercial matters for OneWeb.
Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many satellites OneWeb currently has in operation; how many it will launch next year; and whether those satellites will be launched by the Russian Federation Space Agency, Roscosmos.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
OneWeb currently has 74 spacecraft in orbit. The launch manifest and the chosen launch capabilities are commercial matters for the company.
Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what plans he has to enable the House to return to functioning in the Palace of Westminster.
Answered by Lord McFall of Alcluith
On 7 May the Commission agreed to proceed with plans for enabling hybrid sittings. Hybrid proceedings would involve both virtual and physical participants. Any return to members attending the House would need to be staged and in line with guidance from Public Health England, including social distancing measures. The Procedure Committee will need to consider the procedural changes required to enable hybrid sittings to work effectively, and members will be provided with more detail on this in the weeks ahead.