Off the wire
• Spain's unemployment falls by 541,700 people in 2016  • Ghanaian president sets up committee for 60th independence anniversary  • Tackling migration from Libya "crucial": EU Commissioner  • Ukraine's central bank raises growth forecast for 2017  • Trump says meeting with Mexican president would be "fruitless"  • Ukraine's construction industry rebounds after 4 years decline  • Ukraine sees boom in organic production  • New clinics open for Burundian refugees in Rwanda  • Tanzania, Malawi to hold meeting next month  • Putin pins high hope on upcoming MiG-35 fighter  
You are here: 　 Home

British spaceman Peake to make second journey to International Space Station

Xinhua, January 27, 2017 Adjust font size:

British spaceman Tim Peake is to made a second flight to the International Space Station, government Business Secretary Greg Clark announced Thursday.

The announcement was made at the opening of an exhibition at the Science Museum in London showcasing Tim Peake's Soyuz Capsule, which took him to and from the International Space Station last year.

The exhibition is part of a push to inspire young people to study science, technology, engineering and maths and pursue careers requiring those skills.

Major Peake was the first British astronaut at European Space Agency, undertaking a 186-day mission to the International Space Agency, landing back on the Earth on June 18, 2016.

Clark said Peake's new journey into space will advance scientific research and broaden Britain's understanding of the space environment.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said the mission marks a further boost to Britain's space ambitions and to the profile of a sector of growing economic and educational importance to the country.

"A crucial part of Tim Peake's work is driving interest in science, technology, engineering and maths in schools, and the UK's future technical expertise," said a department spokesman.

Clark also announced that Britain's space businesses are set to benefit from a 152 million pound (192 million U.S.dollars) fund, using British expertise in satellite technology for international projects monitoring and addressing problems such as flooding, drought and deforestation.

He said companies from Edinburgh, Oxfordshire, and Wales are among those who will use technology such as satellite communications and earth observation data to help address significant social and environmental issues including crop loss, illegal fishing and emergency response.

Clark said Peake's first mission to space had inspired a generation in Britain.

He said: "Our space sector underpins industries worth more than 250 billion pounds (316 billion U.S.dollars) to the economy, employing people in every corner of the UK. It has enormous potential to grow further -- showing why we have placed such an emphasis on science, innovation and skills in our plans for an industrial strategy.

"Building on excellent foundations, our ambition is to capture 10 percent of the space market by 2030 and ensure the UK space industry is a global leader in the decades ahead." Endit