Making The (Space) World Go Round

Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to attend the annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, USA. As part of the UK delegation, I was joined by colleagues from the UK Space Agency, as well as representatives from the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Harwell Space Cluster, the Department for Transport, Civil Aviation Authority, Ministry of Defence and Department for International Trade, to help fly the flag for the UK space sector. I reflected that the last time I attended as Head of Delegation, I met with the Head of the Ukrainian State Space Agency, Volodymyr Taftai. How much has changed within less than a year, yet how so much has drawn many nations closer together, particulalry to address the tragic and needless war and my thoughts and prayers are with Volodymyr and all Ukranians.

At this year's Symposium myself and team UK met with a range of space sector leaders throughout the week to identify and grow opportunities for both trans-Atlantic and wider international partnerships and progress UK-international collaboration and UK launch ambitions. We met with senior leaders from companies as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, ViaSat, Inmarsat, OneWeb and institutions such as JAXA, NASA and the European Space Agency. And many more in a whirlwind of formal and informal opportunities! The right conversations were had, with the right people, in the right place, allowing all to develop thinking on how government and industry can help shape the UK’s spaceflight sector, through learning from global space faring nations and companies.

?I also had the opportunity to re-visit some amazing facilities the week before the Symposium, ?with my great colleague and UKSA CEO, Dr Paul Bate, who was seeing the US space sector for the first time alongside visiting thought leadership in the sector in the form of The Aerospace Corp and the Jet Propulsion Lab at Pasadena, one of the 10 NASA Centers. Such breadth helped to increase understanding of emerging space technologies, the investment markets and spacecraft manufacturing, which will be applied to developing our spaceflight sector, and spaceports, in the UK. It also an opportunity to see the encouraging progress being made by Virgin Orbit towards their planned UK launch this year and to visit ABL Space Systems’ headquarters who are working towards achieving a first launch in the US shortly. Seeing these operations facilities first-hand provided a timely update and insight into the many complexities of rocket manufacture. ABL are working with Lockheed Martin and plan to launch their RS1 vertical rocket from SaxaVord Spaceport ?as part of Scotland’s vertical launch offer, with the UK-based Orbex planning to launch their Prime rocket from Space Hub Sutherland.?Both are making tremendous progress.

?Talking to international audiences about LaunchUK always brings home how much progress we’ve achieved so far to drive forward the UK’s spaceflight ambition and I am humbled by the skill, tenacity, agility and determination of all those involved across the sector and in Government. It’s a team sport. Right across the UK, our space sector has proven itself to be the European leader in spaceflight activities; less than four years ago the launch of our spaceflight ambitions was announced, and now, along with the UK’s developing spaceports, we are announcing international customer and partnership successes. For example, earlier this month Virgin Orbit partnered with British company Space Forge to launch and return their new class of reusable vehicle on the first UK launch from Spaceport Cornwall later this year, expanding business opportunities in both the UK and the US.

?We want to continue to create international bridges between our rapidly developing UK spaceports, launch vehicle services and pioneering new innovators, both in and out of the UK, encouraging mutual benefit. That is why the UK Space Agency will be attending several events in the coming months, including Farnborough International Airshow, the International Astronautical Congress, and Space Tech Expo Europe, to engage with global space sectors and showcase the skills and opportunities for partnering with UK providers in the launch industry.

?If you would like to engage with me or a member of my team at one of these events to discuss your opportunities in our spaceflight sector, please email [email protected] Or, you can ?email us and visit our website to find out more about how you can harness the commercial opportunities on offer in the UK’s thriving launch market. The UK is the gateway to the European launch market, so don’t miss your opportunity to discover what the UK spaceflight sector can offer you.

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