A new campaign, supported by former British astronaut Tim Peake, and featuring an astronaut in full white space suit practicing medicine, farming and using a smartphone, has launched today to highlight the impact of space on UK jobs, skills, and innovation.

The campaign by UKspace, the official trade association of the UK space industry, has been developed in response to the low awareness of the benefits of space and misconceptions amongst the UK public. Research shows that the perception of space is shaped less by the role it plays in today’s economy and more by popular culture. The UK public seem to associate space with ‘aliens’ (21%), ‘science fiction’ (14%) and ‘Star Wars’ (10%) – with only 8% realising its ‘communications and connectivity’ capabilities.

In fact, according to the latest research by the UK Space Agency, the UK space sector brings £17.5 billion to the UK economy annually – an increase of £1 billion in a year – helping to launch new business, create jobs across the country and outpace the growth of the global space industry at 1.6%.

The industry also employs just under 48,800 people across the UK, with a further 26,800 jobs supported across the UK supply chain. With ongoing investment, forecasts indicate that the UK could see an additional 30,000 jobs created during the next decade – and these jobs would benefit the UK as a whole.

The West Midlands, East of England and Wales saw the highest proportional growth in space sector income, while Northern Ireland, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the North East of England experienced the biggest proportional increase in the number of space organisations. Employment rose by the largest proportion in the North West and East of England.

In response, UKspace has launched a campaign film to demonstrate the unique value of space to the UK, featuring Earth-based sectors that are heavily supported by space technology; agriculture, healthcare and at home.

•       Agriculture: To boldly grow; Farming equipment and technology have seen huge developments from space. Farmers can remotely sensor and monitor crops, produce rainfall assessments to help plan timing, as well as predict the agricultural output and how it will affect food shortages.
•       Healthcare: Many significant medical breakthroughs have not come without influence from space. Space has helped professionals detect breast cancer, provided technology that supports modern MRI scans and aided in research to improve eye surgery.
•       Home: Space is present throughout our homes as pocket-sized and invisible technologies that support our lives – from faster online communications and complex smartphones, through to satellite broadcasting, smart home appliances and advanced weather forecasting that make our everyday lives easier.

Dr Alice Bunn, President of UKspace, said: “Space is the invisible thread of our everyday lives, but so many of us are unaware of its impact on the UK. In so many ways, all of us are impacted by the technological developments to modern life.

“Through our new campaign, we are highlighting just how important space is to all of us and how the investment we see in locations across the UK will continue to support local communities, lives, jobs and innovation.

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“The UK is home to a thriving satellite manufacturing industry and is on track to become the first country in Europe to offer commercial launch services to small satellite manufacturers, from a range of spaceports offering both horizontal and vertical rocket launch capabilities. It supports highly skilled jobs, fuels technology advancements and creates business opportunities that feed back into the economy.

“This, in turn, grows the pool of public money that can be spent on solving the world’s most pressing problems. As we move forward, the UK is set to be in an even stronger position to escalate our space capabilities.”

Astronaut Tim Peake, who is supporting the campaign, said: “Space isn’t just about adventure and discovery; it’s about developing space-based technology to deliver value in all our lives and improving life on Earth.

“I’m extremely privileged to have experienced space and know what an incredibly valuable tool it can be to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, environmentalists, educators, security experts and many more, help develop new technologies and solutions for global challenges, and enhance our understanding of the universe and our place in it.”