MP's have said Britain should develop its own expanded national space programme, and the Government should be more ambitious in its plan for a UK spaceport. In a report on the country’s space and satellite industries, the House of Commons Science and Technology committee found that three-quarters of the UK Space Agency’s spending is channelled through the European Space Agency.

But MPs said that more Government spending should support “home-grown” technologies to allow the UK’s satellite industry to flourish, alongside work done jointly with European neighbours. The Government plans to set up a UK spaceport by 2018, with sites in Glasgow and Newquay in the running for a licence to host commercial space flights in the future.

However, MPs said, that any such spaceport should not just accommodate “horizontal take-offs” by a future generation of sub-orbital space planes, but also “vertical launches” that can put satellites in space and are therefore of more use to the UK industry.

Nicola Blackwood, chair of the committee, said that attention on Major Tim Peake, the first British European Space Agency astronaut, and his mission aboard the International Space Station, had led to renewed interest in the UK’s role in space exploration, and urged the government not to waste the opportunity to expand the country’s programme, alongside its European commitments. “The UK has, so far, only taken small steps towards launching a national space programme that would enable our innovative space and satellite industries to get the ‘flight heritage’ they need. Now is the time to take a confident leap towards that goal,” she said.

In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space Major Tim Peake blasting off into orbit on board the Soyuz space capsule on his way to becoming the first British astronaut to join the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) PA In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space Major Tim Peake (left) blasting off into orbit on board the Soyuz space capsule on his way to becoming the first British astronaut to join the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) PA In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space Photographers take pictures as Russia's Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft carrying the International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 46/47 crew of Britain's astronaut Tim Peake, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and US astronaut Tim Kopra blasts off from the launch pad at Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome AFP In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space Expedition 46-47 crewmembers ESA astronaut Tim Peake, NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and commander Yuri Malenchenko launch into space from Baikonur cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan Getty Images In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space The Russian rocket launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in front of the world's media following weeks of preparation PA In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space The Russian rocket minutes before launch In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space Tim Peake, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), waves to his children from a bus prior the launch of Soyuz TMA-19M space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space US astronaut Tim Kopra waves as he boards the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome, prior to blasting off to the International Space Station (ISS) Getty Images In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space Britain's astronaut Tim Peake (bottom), Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko (top) and US astronaut Tim Kopra board the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome, prior to blasting off to the International Space Station (ISS) Getty Images In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space British astronaut Tim Peake, member of the main crew to the International Space Station (ISS), during inspecting his space suit prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan AP In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space British astronaut Tim Peake, left, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, center, and U.S. astronaut Tim Kopra, members of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), walk to report to members of the State Committee prior to the launch of Soyuz TMA-19M space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan AP In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space From left, British astronaut Tim Peake, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and U.S. astronaut Tim Kopra, members of the main crew to the International Space Station (ISS), wave to their relatives near a bus prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan AP

The report found that the overall UK space economy had a turnover of £11.8bn in 2012-13, and employed more than 35,000 people. Britain is a world-leader in the manufacture of small satellites, a sector MPs said could benefit from a focused UK space programme to sit alongside the country’s contribution to the European Space Agency. The Government has set a target for the UK to have 10 per cent of the global market in space technology by 2030. £60m in public funding has been invested into the development of a revolutionary new jet-powered space plane engines – a programme that is running concurrently with plans for a space port.