Innovation Minister, Ivan McKee, recently claimed that Scotland’s space sector could be worth £4 billion by the year 2030.

While one might not automatically associate Scotland with the space sector – an area historically dominated by superpowers – there is a wave of excitement permeating throughout Scotland over its role in a revolutionary era for space travel. And the Scottish Government appears keen to capitalise on the buzz.

Speaking during a parliamentary debate on the potential of the sector last week, McKee outlined the Scottish Government’s ambition to introduce at least one spaceport by the early 2020s.

“Scotland already has an innovative and diverse engineering base, with world-class companies competing in international markets,” McKee said. “As a country already punching above its weight in the space sector, we are in a great place to consolidate these existing strengths.

“Our ambitious plans for the space sector need strong leadership to succeed, and we are working with the Scottish Space Leadership Council, which has representatives from all parts of the sector including potential launch sites, satellite manufacturers and data analysis business.”

The development of the Sutherland spaceport is already underway, marking a watershed moment for Scotland’s spacefaring ambitions. In other parts of the country, pioneering companies are also playing a pivotal role in Scotland’s celestial ambitions.

More satellites are built in Glasgow than any other place in Europe, and while Glasgow was once known as the ‘shipyard of the empire’, renowned for its massive shipbuilding industry, the city is forging a new path.

At a national level, Scotland also accounts for nearly one-fifth of all UK space jobs, and around 83 UK space industry firms have headquarters located here, generating a combined income of £140 million; revenue which will continue to grow as the industry matures further.

Skyrora director Daniel Smith told DIGIT he welcomed McKee’s predictions for the sector and that he believes Scotland will play a pivotal role in the future success of the UK’s space industry

“Skyrora welcome the Minister’s comments and would certainly echo his predictions,” Smith said. “Scotland is key to the UK’s plans to capture more of the global space market and it well-placed to take advantaged of this incredible opportunity thanks to our engineering heritage, world-class universities, an already established space sector and, of course, geography.

“We’re perfectly situated for launching small satellites to low-Earth orbit. It’s important that we continue to move fast to secure our position as a space nation and we hope that Skyrora can set an example to other young space companies through our emphasis on collaboration, innovative development of hardware and commitment to educational outreach.”

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