The UK Space Agency has welcomed Scottish Government officials and sector representatives to its new Edinburgh office.
The visit was timed to coincide with the inaugural Space Comm Expo, being held today and tomorrow in Glasgow.
It was organised to ‘deepen collaboration’ between the agency and Scottish public and private sector bodies – particularly given Scotland’s fast-growing space sector and location for the SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland.
Scotland is also home to advanced satellite manufacturing capabilities, data analysis expertise and satellite launch market that is attracting significant interest and investment from the global space community.
Dr Paul Bate, UK Space Agency chief executive, said: “Our work with Scotland’s space sector is long standing, as is Scotland’s vital contribution to the wider UK space ecosystem. We opened our Edinburgh office earlier this year and it is great to be in Glasgow today for the first Space Comm Expo Scotland, where we want to deepen existing partnerships and explore new frontiers.
“We know that Scotland has the best sites in the UK to launch rockets vertically from, and its universities are home to some of the greatest minds in space science. This is a growth sector that is at its best when we work together, and learn from one another, across governments, industry and academia.
“Nothing we do in space is easy. But the benefits this sector brings to all our lives make it more than worth it.”
Dr Paul Bate will host an industry roundtable at the event, with the support of SpaceScotland, to explore the future of the Scottish space ecosystem, before delivering a keynote speech to the conference.
The UK Space Agency is also supporting the development of Scotland’s space ecosystem by investing in its not-for-profit sector development body, Space Scotland. This includes programmes that equip the nation’s space workforce with the expertise and skills they need, and is unlocking new market opportunities for space with adjacent industries like FinTech, AgriTech, and Robotics.
Daniel Smith, founding director of Space Scotland, said: “The space sector in Scotland is growing rapidly towards an ‘end-to-end’ offering that covers Europe-leading small satellite manufacture, orbital spaceflight capabilities and critically, capturing global insights from space data that underpin adjacent sector activity, environmental protection and disaster response.
“With this growth comes a wealth of business and employment opportunities to benefit the economy across Scotland and the wider UK. The UK Space Agency’s new office and continued partnership with Space Scotland will help maximise these opportunities, supporting the delivery of the Scottish Space Strategy, whilst further enabling ongoing work around sustainability, skills and the creation of an increasingly diverse workforce.”
The latest Size and Health of the UK Space Industry report estimates that 228 space organisations in Scotland generated a combined income of £298 million in 2021/22, almost double the amount for 2018/19 in real terms (£157 million).
Internal analysis shows the UK’s national space programmes (excluding European Space Agency) allocated 15% of available funding since 2018 to organisations based in Scotland.
The UK Space Agency is supporting the Space Comm Expo Scotland event, which begins today (11 September) at the SEC Glasgow and is set to welcome 3,000 visitors.