The United Kingdom has been active in the space sector for more than 50 years and has a highly skilled and export-oriented industry [OECD, The Space Economy in Figures: How Space Contributes to the Global Economy, 2019]
Midlands Innovation are bringing people together from academia and business to explore collaborations in research, training, skills and equipment as they relate to New Space activities – both upstream and downstream.
The upstream encompasses the provision of technology such as space prime contractor, contract R&D, space component supplier, and space subsystems. The downstream covers the exploitation of technology such as satellite broadcast services, Earth observation, financial services and satellite communications.
The most dominant area in terms of economic value is satellite communications and the UK has particular strengths in Earth observation, navigation and positioning.