§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why he has dropped the proposal for a British or European Geostationary Technology Satellite.
§ Mr. Michael HeseltineThe offer to Europe of participation in the maritime communications version of the United Kingdom Geostationary Technology Satellite (GTS) project was withdrawn at the European Space Conference in July 1973. Instead, it was agreed that the United Kingdom should take a majority share in the development of a maritime communications satellite known as MAROTS, based on the ESRO prototype telecommunications satellite (OTS). Having consulted British industry I decided that the value to the United Kingdom of the wider agreement reached at the conference, on a genuine European effort in space, fully justified this change of policy.