Report: UK space sector booms
April 16, 2022
By Chris Forrester
A report from research agency Bryce Tech says that employment in the UK space sector grew 7 per cent between 2019 and 2020 and shows no sign of plateauing. Actual employed numbers soared from 44,040 in 2019 to 46,995 in 2020.
Bryce Tech says that there are now 1,293 companies and organisations in the UK (including Scotland) and employment in the regional portions of the UK all saw increased staffing from 7,703 to 8,440 in Scotland, and more than doubling in Wales from 415 to 1109, and an even greater percentage growth in Northern Ireland from 113 to 431 employees.
Bryce says that despite a flattening of revenues during 2020 and not helped by the pandemic, confidence from the industry for the next three years remains very positive. Various UK ‘spaceports’ are under development (in Scotland and in Cornwall in the South-West of England).
“The UK space sector has shown remarkable resilience in the face of challenges presented by the pandemic, thanks to the incredible efforts of all those within it, and its future is a bright and ambitious one,” said Dr. Paul Bate, CEO/UK Space Agency. “We continue to work closely with partners across the industry, with academia and our colleagues across government to catalyse further investment, deliver new space capabilities and missions, and champion space for the good of humanity.”