Following the news that both Spaceport Cornwall and Shetland Spaceport will soon be operational;

Madeline Wild, Associate Defense Analyst, at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view:

“Building two spaceports, capable of launching and receiving spacecraft, in different corners of the UK will help boost the country’s appeal as a destination for commercial space companies and foreign direct investment (FDI). The facilities are also a part of the UK government’s plans to be independent when it comes to space launch capability, with the country growing a number of industrial ‘clusters’ —regional hubs intended to boost new business opportunities. Satellites are being increasingly relied upon for everything, from the most minor of activities to major military operations. Moreover, the technology is getting cheaper meaning more entities will be able to engage with this technology. As a result, the UK needs to reduce its reliance on the US, currently the market leader, and establish itself as a leading player in the space domain.

“Aerospace company Lockheed Martin is developing its launch operations from the island of Unst in Scotland, while the Spaceport Cornwall consortium is leading the development of a space cluster in Cornwall. The investment in both locations should provide investors with growth opportunities. Not only will the ports prove attractive to those looking to launch satellites, but a much wider range of manufacturing and cyber firms are likely to be drawn to such clusters, including those that would not necessarily operate in the space domain yet may find utility of their goods in this industry.

“While the spaceports will have both military and non-military applications, their development aligns with the MoD’s Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS) 2021 plan. The DSIS aims to use the space industry as a ‘strategic capability’, by actively utilizing the industry as a political and economic tool—thus propelling its value beyond the mere production of weaponry. Not only will industrial growth in the space domain help attract FDI and new skills and knowledge, but it should also create employment and drive local economies According to GlobalData figures, the number of space jobs in the UK rose by 40.5% in the first six months of 2022.”