“ THE UK GOVERNMENT IS MORE INTERESTED IN SPACE THAN IT HAS EVER BEEN, WITH A CONSCIOUS ERA OF POLICY MAKING IN THE LAST 10-15 YEARS. SPACE HAS BECOME MUCH MORE INSTITUTIONALISED AS AN AREA OF POLICY FOR SECURITY, INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.”


DR BLEDDYN BOWEN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ASTROPOLITICS, DURHAM UNIVERSITY & CO-DIRECTOR OF THE SPACE RESEARCH CENTRE


UNCAPPED OPPORTUNITY In the later sessions, speakers across industries from policy to tech, finance, recruitment and academia explored the UK’s space ambitions and plans for economic growth. Representatives from Lockheed Martin, SaxaVord Spaceport, UKspace, Seraphim Space and Harwell discussed the government’s industrial strategy, as well as exciting areas for cross- sector collaboration and engagement with the infrastructure, defence and energy sectors. Speakers explored the impact of the space sector


on national and regional growth, including priorities for growing the Scottish space sector. The importance of international exchanges to advance research, meet skills gaps and address society’s most pressing global challenges, like the climate crisis, were also discussed. Additional sessions looked at supporting SMEs in the


space sector, from investment to ensuring they can access the skills they need. Developing a regulatory business environment that fosters innovation for advancing domestic space technology was another hot topic. UKspace’s head of policy, Stephanie Ayres, outlined


the significant impact of the space industry on many of the UK’s other industries, from advanced manufacturing to financial services, professional services, life sciences and defence, to name a few. “Advanced manufacturing needs the use of robotics


and high-performance computing and modelling, which the space industry is already characterised by,” said Ayres. “We produce leading-edge robotics every day as we plan our missions in space. The space sector supplies 95% of the UK’s climate monitoring information. When you think of the creative industries and its reliance on streaming, or digital technologies and communications, these areas could not operate without the space sector.”


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The scope of the space sector’s impact was again


reiterated by Neil Rae, UK space lead at KPMG, which has published an extensive report on the space economy and its opportunities. “Space is having an increasingly disruptive impact not dissimilar to the digital revolution. We can’t think of it as an isolated sector anymore. The conversation needs to be about what space does for everyone else and all our other industries it impacts.” Geraldine Naja, director of commercialisation,


industry and competitiveness at ESA illustrated the booming global use of space, opportunities and investment by both the public and private sector. “Space has changed considerably in the last one or two decades,” she said. “It is a full part of the economy now. It’s estimated that each of us uses an average of 40 satellites each day without even knowing it. It’s also a crucial enabler for various areas – from environment and research to health and agriculture – and an enabler of new global markets.”


MOBILISING TALENT The sheer breadth of the sector and its pace of growth makes talent even more essential. Speakers explored skills for the space workforce, with many stating that the sector is far broader than publicly perceived. Dr Heidi Thiemann, co-founder and director of the Space Skills Alliance, talked through its 2030 Space Skills Roadmap. The plan aims to grow the space workforce, address recruitment and retention challenges, increase access to high-quality training and explore opportunities for participation. “We really need to improve the perception of space


and who can work in the sector and stop using just rockets and astronauts to illustrate how people can work in this industry,” said Thiemann. “There are much more varied opportunities. We need to share the abundance of real-


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