Science Museum celebrates 50 years of the UK in Space

On 26 April1962, Britain became recognised as the third space-faring nation with the launch of Ariel-1, the first satellite to carry experiments devised and operated by UK universities. This made the UK the third space faring nation in the world, behind the USA and former USSR. Fifty years on, the UK space sector is a world leader in space science, innovative technology and applications development..

To mark the anniversary the Science Museum and the UK Space Agency are co-hosting a two-day conference celebrating 50 years of the UK in space. It will bring together the scientists and engineers who started the UK on the road to being a world-renowned centre for space technology and research with those working on the missions of today.   

As part of the celebrations, the museum will also unveil a new exhibit on the Ariel programme in its Exploring Space gallery.

Doug Millard, Deputy Keeper, Technologies & Engineering said, ‘The Science Museum draws on the historical to help us understand the present. Ariel-1 was the mission that kick-started today’s burgeoning UK space sector.’

To find out more about the anniversary visit www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/ariel1.

To register for this FREE conference celebrating the anniversary of Ariel-1, please visit the conference website: http://ukinspace50-conference.com