Britain’s contribution to space science began hundreds of years before Prime Minister Harold Macmillan announced a new British space research programme in 1959.

For centuries our scientists and astronomers have shaped how the world is seen and they continue to add to our knowledge of the Universe through space missions and ground-based science.

The following list highlights some of the most important
discoveries for science as well as key missions involving British scientists and engineers.

1668 – Sir Isaac Newton builds the first reflecting telescope. Over 300 years later, Newton’s invention forms the basis of the Hubble Space Telescope. » Read more: Space History at a Glance