Benefits of buying space tech solutions from Scotland

Manufacturing expertise

Scotland is the number one European manufacturer of satellites, with Glasgow producing more than anywhere else in the world outside of California.

With more than 130 organisations engaged in space-related activity, Scotland’s space sector grew by a staggering 27% from 2016 to 2018, employing more than 8400 people in upstream and downstream activities. Scotland also has the very first rocket manufacturing facility in the UK plus expertise in space manufacturing and applications capabilities.

End-to-end capabilities

Scotland has three potential low earth orbit, strategic vertical launch sites and is in the final stages of building the very first orbital spaceport in Europe. With its completion, Scotland will have end-to-end capability in small satellites, from design and manufacturing the satellites, launching them into orbit, bringing the data down, and using it to make useful applications.

Insight and innovation

Scottish space tech companies are helping to find solutions to global problems like climate change, while innovation and R&D centres are continually working to make manufacturing faster, cheaper and smarter.

One example of this is the use of lightweight materials at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) opens in a new window , an industry-led innovation centre hosted by the University of Strathclyde.

Successful Scottish space tech companies

Space Intelligence

Space Intelligence opens in a new window gathers, processes and analyses satellite data, selling actionable business intelligence to businesses seeking to mitigate their carbon footprint and environmental impact. Its core services are the classification of landscapes using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning applied to big data from space. This includes the mapping of deforestation and forest degradation to help tackle the global climate emergency.

How Space Intelligence is helping restore the world's peatlands 

DDK Positioning

DDK Positioning opens in a new window offers resilient delivery of Precise GNSS Positioning Services on a global scale to an accuracy of less than 5 centimetres (compared to the standard GPS accuracy of around 10 metres). This technology can be used in applications such as autonomous vehicles, Internet of Things (IoT), consumer applications and professional surveys.

Craft Prospect

Craft Prospect opens in a new window is a new space engineering company providing AI-enabled space technologies, mission systems consultancy and quantum encryption services. It aims to unlock the potential of Earth-observing nano-satellites for onboard data autonomy and deliver a higher mission return.