The UK’s space sector is fast growing, globally competitive, and increasingly important to all parts of our economy, national security, and everyday life.
The UK offers exciting opportunities across the space sector, which is currently worth over £16.4 billion per year to the UK economy and employs 45,100 people.
With the global space economy projected to reach £490 billion by 2030, the UK has published a National Space Strategy. The Prime Minister has committed to a plan “that will see us take a leading role on the international stage, Global Britain becoming Galactic Britain”.
A robust market
The UK has existing areas of commercial and technical expertise which the government continues to support and develop. The UK is globally renowned in the manufacture of spacecraft and highly complex payloads, with a particular strength in small satellites. It is also a leader in the ground-based manufacture and services for high-end navigation systems and satellite communications.
The country’s thriving professional services can support space companies from startups to large primes throughout their lifecycle, from partner nations all around the world in a variety of sub-sectors.
Renewed Ambition
The National Space Strategy identifies future focuses and opportunities over the next decade that the UK will be well placed to capitalize on, across civil and defence space. This includes include satellite enabled broadband, in-orbit servicing and manufacturing, space-based energy, and more. With a commercially led approach, the UK will help companies flourish through innovative regulation, on hand business support, and unique international partnerships.
Global Connections
Global Britain is promoting and attracting investment into all parts of our space sector. The UK has committed to incorporating space trade arrangements in its future Free Trade Agreements, alongside the development of innovative partnerships such as the UK-Australia Space Bridge.
We have relationships with key international spacefaring partners and organisations, such as the USA, Japan, India, the United Arab Emirates and the European Space Agency. This allows the UK to act as a base for companies from around the world to expand and operate from as part of a wider international community.
Commercial maturity
Our well-developed space economy is worth £16.4 billion. To support this, the UK champions businesses, researchers, and innovators across nearly all sub-sectors of space. Providing a commercially led and supportive approach, the UK is leading the world in modern space regulation. It is designed to cater for a range of current and future spaceflight and satellite technology, with flexibility to support the pace of innovation safely.
The UK will soon host the full range of end-to-end space services including:
- a strong science and technology development base
- satellite design, manufacturing, and operation
- financing and insurance
- downstream analytics
- a space launch capability
Only the most advanced spacefaring economies have all of this.
Key UK assets
Regions across the UK offer exciting opportunities for the space industry:
The Midlands
Leicester is home to a cluster of space technology companies and major new developments. With various assets such as the University of Leicester and Space Park Leicester, the region boasts close academic ties and access to a rich pipeline of talent as well as a range of facilities for R&D.
Scotland
With around 7,000 employees, Scotland is one of the biggest employment clusters in the UK for space related industries, building on its strong scientific heritage and small satellite manufacturing history. The £45 million Bayes Centre is home to world-class data science and artificial intelligence, complementing the region’s wider excellence in data analytics.
South of England
Harwell is a large space cluster in the South of England with a thriving ecosystem, offering unique access to national facilities and private and public funding organisations. It is home to a £105 million National Satellite Test Facility, and the headquarters of the pioneering Satellite Applications Catapult. Harwell has proven to be an effective incubator for small startups, hosting over 100 space companies in this cluster alone.
Wales
Wales offers a compelling location for horizontal launch activities, renown capabilities in photonics and a dedicated compound semiconductors cluster supported by a number of state-of-the-art research facilities.
R&D capability
With such a developed space sector, it’s only natural that the UK possesses an impressive research & development capacity. Top-tier universities help drive R&D with the assistance of the Satellite Applications Catapult, who connect academia with industry and stimulate the commercialisation of innovative space technology.
A variety of R&D support is available from funding to partnerships. For example, UK Government offers R&D tax credits and access to innovation-themed grants. The UK’s global Science & Innovation Network also helps UK-based researchers collaborate with international partners on mutually advantageous technologies, such as with Australia under the UK-Australia Space Bridge. The positive climate for research and innovation saw the expenditure of £702 million space-related R&D in 2019.
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory provide industry with an interface to develop science and technology with the UK’s Ministry of Defence, bridging the gap between civil and defence space to protect our national security interests.