How Can the UK Become a Significant Space Industry Player?

Britain has a long-proven history in the space industry that has met with considerable hardships. From the lack of interest to botched satellite launches, it’s a tough business. However, the British never lost their will to go boldly where no man has gone before. Space is not only a source of valuable resources but also a representation of our advancement as a species. Beyond colonization, being able to reach new heights of greatness such as innovative space tech will allow us to advance our technology and solve problems here on Earth that have been left unanswered for decades.

The UK government knows that its people are excited about the opportunity and is thus capitalizing on this growing trend. New education opportunities and job openings in the space sector will allow a fresh wave of young Brits to become involved in paving the path towards the future. For this to happen, the government needs to make sure that there is always an opportunity for those who desire to work for it. 

What Does the UK Have Now?

Recent years have been very lucrative for the UK’s space sector. Reports from know.space claim that there has been a 5.7% increase in gross income — £16.4 billion compared to income from 2016/17, which was a little shy of £15 billion. This is partly due to the government’s increased interest in expanding the UK’s space sector. By their estimate, the UK should have roughly a 10% share of the global space market by the end of 2030. While this seems like a large number, we should not forget new research facilities, plans for launch site construction, and job opportunities popping up left and right. The UK will seek licensing of seven satellite and rocket launch sites by the end of 2022. This matches perfectly with the scheduled launches of the Orbex and Skyrora rockets for late 2022.

The Elements to Capitalize On

At the moment, the British space industry is focusing on space tourism and ecologically sustainable business. 

Rocket launches aren’t a new concept. The British government is attempting to draw private and public investors into the sector in advance of issuing a license to manufacture and develop spaceflight gear by the end of 2021. The goal is to become the first European country with functional commercial spaceports. 

The emphasis on environmental health that the UK government is pushing forward is another exciting development. In tandem with the planned rocket launches by Orbex and Skyrora, the two companies are developing innovative rocket fuels since traditional fuel hurts the environment. The amount of energy expenditure and pollution left after each launch is staggering. The invention of a self-sustaining and ‘green’ source of energy for rocket launches will help reduce the carbon imprint and, over time, reduce launch costs.

The Potential of the British Space Industry

The UK has a long history of reaching for the stars. While the USA and Russia were at each other’s throats in the 1950s, the UK was struggling to get the ball rolling on its own space program. Not many people know that the world’s longest-established space organization was founded in 1933 in the UK. The British Interplanetary Society aimed at supporting and promoting the exploration of space. They were British people engrossed by the possibility of space and all the secrets it had to share. While it was at least 19 years until the British Space Programmed officially launched in 1952, we can definitely see that the UK had a burning desire to uncover the mysteries of the cosmos. 

This spirit of exploration is what has led to the UK’s most glorious achievements in spacecraft developments: 

• Ariel-1 satellite launched in 1962;

• Black Arrow rocket launched successfully in 1971;

• The Giotto spacecraft was launched in 1985;

• Helen Sherman was the first Brit who visited the Mir space station in 1991.

As you see, the UK has kept its chin up over the years. These days, the UK government has shifted its priorities towards expanding the space industry sector by financing new technology development and opening more job opportunities. Clearly, the spirit of exploration never dies.

The UK government earned a lot of good press with its eco-fuel and ecologically sustainable launch site foundations, as the public became more environmentally aware. Implementing a self-reliant business model for the British space industry will reduce overall costs in the long run and reduce space pollution after each launch, resulting in a cleaner environment for the entire world. So, it seems like the UK is on the right path to regain its former image of the top space power.