British firms are being “excluded” from bidding for lucrative space contracts because of concerns over Brexit, Simon Henley, President-Elect of the Royal Aeronautical Society, is reported to have told MPs.

He cited the Galileo programme, Europe’s global navigation satellite system being created through the European Space Agency and the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency. To date, Henley says UK firms have been “very successful” with contracts for the project.

However, City AM reports, he told the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee: “But we have had companies now reporting to us that they are being excluded from bidding for contracts on Galileo.”

He added: “Although membership of the European Space Agency is not part of the EU discussions, because it’s not an EU body, many of the contracts, including Galileo are EU funded.”

Henley noted: “We’re already seeing contracts being turned away from UK industry because of the uncertainty.”

Brexit: Global implications

Earlier this year, we interviewed Paul Everitt, CEO, ADS, about the impact Brexit is likely to have on the aerospace industry and how, collectively, we prepare.