BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 4. Great Britain presented its rich experience in the space industry at the 74th International Astronautical Congress in Baku, British Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Fergus Auld said during the presentation of the stand of the UK Space Agency, Trend reports.
"Baku hosted the International Astronautical Congress for the first time 50 years ago, and this year it is being held here in Azerbaijan again. During this time, the country has been able to develop its own capabilities in this area through Azercomos," Auld said.
According to the ambassador, everyone with whom he communicated over the past two days was delighted with the warm welcome in Baku, the architecture, the hospitality, and, of course, the congress itself.
In addition, Fergus Auld said that the pavilion of the UK Space Agency will provide an excellent opportunity to learn more about the British space sector, establish contacts, and, possibly, initiate future cooperation.
"The British space sector is estimated at 17.5 billion pounds ($21.2 billion), and 1,500 British companies are represented in it. This sector is developing rapidly. The UK provides a full range of services at every stage of the space chain, from the design and production of satellites to their launch from British spaceports and the subsequent processing of data from these satellites to solve some of the world's most global challenges. I am glad to see around me some of the most innovative British companies working in this field, such as BAE Systems, Open Cosmos, Immersat, and the sponsor of our brunch today, Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL)," the ambassador said.
The 74th International Astronautical Congress was held in Baku on October 2 in partnership with the Space Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azercosmos) and the International Astronautical Federation.
The event was attended by representatives of space agencies, the public sector, investors and private space companies, local and international media, as well as more than 5,000 representatives from 101 countries. 150 companies are represented at the International Astronautical Congress in the exhibition hall. The congress will last until October 6.
This was the second time that Baku was hosting this congress; the first one took place in 1973, also in Baku.