The U.K. from space.

A space strategy document published by the government last year has been described as "limited in ambition" by the House of Commons Trade and Industry Select Committee. The committee also gave warning that UK spending on the commercial development of space is falling in real terms, and expressed the hope that "the civil space programme will be funded on a less cautious basis".

Aware that "fresh blood" will be needed to meet the labour demands of the space industry in the coming years, the committee called on the government to "specifically address the question of the supply of appropriately qualified graduates so that the space industry can be sustained in the years ahead."

"Any decline in the number and calibre of science and technology graduates rasies problems far beyond those of the space industry alone," said the report.

UK civil expenditure on space was £181 million for 1999-2000, the lowest it has been for many years. Altogether, the UK space industry includes about 400 companies and employs around 6,300 people.