Space industry in Scotland
From Earth observation and data analysis to satellite design, manufacture, testing, launch and operations, Scotland is in a unique position to service all your space tech needs.
Did you know?
Scotland's pioneering research, innovation, manufacturing facilities and launch sites means it has a unique end-to-end capability in the European small satellite value chain.
18% of all UK space roles
are filled by Scotland’s 8,440-person strong talent pool.*
130+ space companies
currently operate from Scotland, including renowned global and emerging companies.
40% lower costs
operating costs can be up to 40% lower in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK.
Source: *UK Space Agency
A top location in Europe for space companies
Scotland's space sector is rising faster than anywhere else in the UK, aiming to grow in value to £4 billion by 2030. It has some of the highest space-related activity in Europe. In fact, Glasgow manufactures more satellites than anywhere else in Europe.
Scotland has strong roots in satellite manufacturing, rocket manufacturing, data and ground-breaking research. And with new developments like the UK’s first orbital spaceport just around the corner, now is a great time to join Scotland’s growing space industry.
Watch our video to hear from Daniel Smith, founder of AstroAgency and Dr Murray Collins, space lead at the Bayes Centre in Edinburgh.
Space tech manufacturing excellence
You'll be in great company
From ship building to rocket ships, we’ve come a long way – Scotland now builds more satellites than anywhere else outside of California. Homegrown manufacturers like AAC Clyde Space have led the way in this space, showing the world that Scotland is the place to be for small satellite production. And with industry pioneers like US inward investor Spire now designing, building and testing their own satellites entirely in Scotland, you’ll be in great company.
Scotland's innovation and R&D centres are continually working hard to make manufacturing faster, cheaper and smarter. A prime example is the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), an industry led innovation centre hosted by the University of Strathclyde, bringing together the private and public sectors to transform skills, productivity and innovation.
Within the site is the Lightweight Manufacturing Centre which focuses on manufacturing lightweight components for space and other industries offering significant cost-savings and efficiency benefits.
What Scotland can offer your space tech company
Join a community with innovation at its heart
Scotland has a long history of producing pioneers - scientists and inventors who lead the way. From initiating the use of radar to discovering the composition of Saturn’s rings, Scotland’s innovators push boundaries and look to the future. So, it’s no surprise that Scotland has become the frontier for launch in the UK and will be home to one of the first orbital spaceports in mainland Europe.
The launch sites will complete the end-to-end capability to design, build and launch small satellites - all in Scotland.
More about innovation in Scotland
Access the skills and talent you need
When it comes to talent, Scotland exceeds all expectations. Although it makes up 9% of the UK population, Scotland is home to 18% of all space roles. As an investor, this equates to a pool of more than 8,400 talented individuals, meeting all your needs when it comes to finding the right people.
Scotland is also strongly represented in complimentary sectors such as advanced engineering, manufacturing and aerospace. These industries can offer supply-chain skill sets well suited to diversification into space-based opportunities, giving extra value from well-established expertise.
More about Scotland's people, skills and recruitment
Funding for innovation and research
If you’re looking to work on ground-breaking new ideas and tech, Scotland is a great place to be. As well as access to our highly skilled and specialised workforce, you’ll have access to European Space Agency funding programs, UK-wide funding projects (including the UK Space Agency), plus local Scottish grants to support innovative R&D.
More about financial and tax incentives in Scotland
Benefit from ongoing support
Scotland is a place where businesses are supported and the entrepreneurial spirit is strong. This ethos is supported by our strong ecosystem of innovation centres, incubators and accelerators across the country, which provide inspiring environments for businesses to spark ideas and find like-minded talent.
The industry itself is taking the lead when it comes to developing and growing the Scottish space industry. The Scottish Space Leadership Council (SSLC) brings together businesses in commercial space to increase opportunities, efficiencies and growth through collaboration, partnering and mutual support. The SSLC aspires to raise the profile of Scotland, positioning the country as a leading global destination for access to space and space services, in an environment conducive to growth and success.
Why Spire choose Scotland
We helped California-based satellite data specialists, Spire, get set up in Scotland quickly and easily. Skilled talent, access to risk capital, and the support we offer to innovative companies, are among the top reasons Spire chose to set up here.
Spire operates one of the largest constellations of private nanosatellites and ground station networks in the world. In 2019, Spire secured £14.7 million investment from Scottish Enterprise which will help the firm generate over 260 jobs in Scotland.
Scotland's space industry ecosystem
The unique geography of the Scottish Highlands and Islands offer a strategic location to easily reach low earth orbits using vertical launch. The rugged landscape also benefits from a sparsely populated area and its proximity to the coast, reducing risk from launch vehicles.
Scotland's northerly position is in close proximity to poles, enabling superior direct access to polar and sun-synchronous orbits. Shorter trajectories also mean reduced risk, enabling your satellites to reach their destination more quickly.
Both indigenous companies and multinationals alike can benefit from Scotland's planned spaceport development.
Benefit from:
- Cost-effective means for small satellite launch without ride sharing
- A low risk environment
- Proximity to customers and new spaceports
- Access to a vibrant engineering community for R&D expertise
- A supportive government
UK's first spaceports
Scotland has been chosen as the home for the UK’s first vertical spaceports, with vertical rocket and satellite launches planned as soon as 2022. It will allow Scotland to offer full end-to-end capabilities in the small satellite supply chain. This means we can design, build, launch and operate satellites, plus downlink and utilise the data, all in Scotland.
British launch company Orbex and US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin have been awarded a total of £29 million in funding to develop launch operations from Scotland. Orbex is working with Highlands and Islands Enterprise to develop launch capabilities from Space Hub Sutherland and has set up a rocket manufacturing facility in Forres, whilst Lockheed Martin is developing launch operations from Shetland Space Centre.
The development of both of these vertical spaceports shows the attractiveness of a move to Scotland for companies in this industry.
Our launch sites can provide plentiful benefits for other launchers too, including a European base, research and development activities and ample supply chain opportunities for components and other elements.
Now is an exciting time for the data industry in Scotland. Satellite data and its associated applications are accelerating, and the possibilities for data analysis endless.
From agriculture and marine to construction and humanitarian efforts, Scottish companies are using satellite-driven intelligence to commercialise real time applications across the globe.
As part of the £661 million decade-long Data Driven Innovation initiative, the University of Edinburgh and its partners are training 100,000 people in the application of data across major sectors, ensuring Scotland has a future-proof workforce who are ready to face any challenge.
Get easy access to:
- Talent now and in the future
- A thriving data science community
- World-class universities
- Reduced costs thanks to innovation
- A strong base to tap into global opportunities
- Explore the art of the possible
How Scottish businesses are bringing space data down to earth
Space companies in Scotland are working on a huge variety of projects, from rocket manufacturing and satellite launch to data analysis. In fact, some of our companies are working on such new and niche technologies that they don’t have any direct competitors yet.
Space companies in Scotland include:
- Spire – satellite and data analytics
- Ecometrica – space tech focused on monitoring climate issues
- Orbex – orbital services, including low carbon launch vehicles that use renewable fuel
- Skyrora – launch vehicle technology
- AAC Clyde Space – advanced nanosatellite spacecraft and mission services
- Astrosat – space services and management
- Alba Orbital – satellite design and build
- STAR Dundee – aerospace engineering
- Bird.i – satellite imaging
From Earth observation to data analysis, satellite manufacture to launch, we're your gateway to Scotland’s space companies and organisations who could have a solution to help your business.
Our space facilities are spread across the length and breadth of Scotland. Central Scotland offers easy access to research centres, office space and new graduates, whereas our highlands and islands locations offer open land and quiet airspace.
Ayrshire and Argyll
- Prestwick Spaceport (orbital and horizontal launch)
- Machrihanish Spaceport (horizontal launch)
Dundee
Edinburgh
- Honeywell (General Space Test Facility)
- The Royal Observatory Edinburgh (General Space Test Facility)
Glasgow
- The Advanced Forming Research Centre
- University of Glasgow Wind Tunnels
- Clyde Space (General Space Test Facility)
- Fraunhofer Institute (research and development services)
- QuantIC
Highlands and Islands
- LTPA Hebrides Trials Range
- Shetland Space Centre (vertical launch)
- Sutherland Space Hub (vertical launch)
- Spaceport 1 Scolpaig, North Uist (vertical launch)
Collaboration shows Scotland's space tech is out of this world
Scottish scientists plan to use algorithms originally developed for the study of human brains and starling flocks and apply them to help design, build and operate complex networks of satellites. Learn how AAC Clyde Space is successfully working with the University of Strathclyde.
Gravitational Wave Space Observatory
The work of the University of Glasgow’s Institute for Gravitational Research and the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) in Edinburgh is contributing to a Europe-wide project, known as The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). LISA will be the first ever space-based gravitational wave observatory and is expected to launch in 2034.
The observatory will help scientists to detect ripples in spacetime, improving our knowledge of the universe.
Read more about Scotland’s work on the Gravitational Wave Space Observatory.
James Webb Space Telescope
Scientists from Edinburgh’s Astronomy Technology Centre are working on a huge international project to launch a new telescope into space, roughly a million miles from Earth. The new telescope will help scientists study planets and galaxies across the universe. The project involves teams from NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
Geoscientists at the University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh’s School of Geosciences has worked on several projects to improve ecosystem management, using satellite data combined with innovative analysis techniques to allow faster response times to environmental threats.
From monitoring Earth to intercepting comets, Dr Murray Collins, space lead at the Bayes Centre, Edinburgh, highlights the end-to-end capabilities of Scotland's space data capital.
Working with homegrown success story Ecometrica, the university is involved in the Forests 2020 project to help protect and restore up to 300 million hectares of tropical forests. This is achieved through forest monitoring, exploiting advanced uses of satellite data for the benefit of life on Earth.
Other research
Aside from these projects, scientists and academics across the country are working on everything from solar sailing, solar flare forecasting and space weather, to space tourism and quantum physics.
Listen to our space podcasts
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Monitoring earth and comets
Edinburgh is on its way to becoming the space data capital of Europe. Dr Murray Collins, Space Lead at the Bayes Centre tells us why.
A golden era in Scotland and space
Jeff Fyfe, Global Space Lead at W.L. Gore & Associates shares his passion for Scotland's space industry and curiosity for exploring innovative tech solutions to improve people's lives.
Need help?
If you have a question about opportunities Scotland's space industry, our team of advisers can help.