To help support the space sector across the country, the UK Space Agency is opening a number of regional offices, with one being in the Scottish capital.

The Scottish regional office for the agency, which is responsible for the UK’s civil space programme, will be at Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh. Two further regional offices will be opened in Wales and the Midlands, while new headquarters will also be located in Harwell, Oxford.

The government said that the expansion will enable the agency to collaborate more closely with the UK’s space sector, while promoting regional skills and job opportunities to deliver increasingly ambitious missions and capabilities.

While the Edinburgh office will be opening later in the summer, the Welsh, Midlands, and Oxford offices are opening between April and June. The agency will also retain its offices in London and Swindon.

The government also said, and as set out in the Space Industrial Plan, it’s committed to continuing support for space clusters across the UK and providing the tools needed to drive collaboration between them and catalyse further investment.

The UK space sector is growing faster than the rest of the UK economy, worth over £17.5 billion per year and employing over 45,000 people, with satellites underpinning £360 billion per year of wider economic activity.

Speaking on the announcement and Scotland’s space sector, Donald Cameron, the UK government minister for Scotland, said: “The Scottish space sector continues to go from strength to strength with the latest figures showing an almost £40 million increase in income and more than 100 new highly-skilled jobs with support from the UK government.

“I welcome the UK Space Agency opening their first permanent Scottish office in Edinburgh and look forward to working closely together as this exciting sector continues to grow.”

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Dr Hina Khan, executive director of Space Scotland, the industry-led initiative to support the Scots space ecosystem, added: “The opening of the UK Space Agency’s new office in Scotland is very welcomed by Space Scotland. We look forward to strengthening our partnership and fostering greater involvement with the UK Space Agency in developing the Scottish Space Ecosystem.

“We eagerly anticipate the opportunities that this closer collaboration will bring, as we work hand in hand to leverage Scotland’s strengths and expertise. By fostering greater connectivity and cooperation, we can drive innovation, create new jobs, and propel Scotland’s space sector to even greater heights.”