Richard Lochhead launches review of Scotland’s space strategy  

Business minister Richard Lochhead has announced a review of Scotland’s space strategy.

Speaking at the Space-Comm expo in Glasgow, Lochhead announced the review to look at the future of Scotland’s growing space sector.

Lochhead said: “I'm pleased that I've agreed with the chief executive of Space Scotland and the chair of the Scottish Space Academic Forum that it's now time to review Scotland's national space strategy. That will happen over the next year and will point the way forward to the next few decades, because we have to capture all the changes that have been happening and make sure that Scotland's fit for purpose.”

The announcement of the review comes on the heels of a £3.8m investment by the UK Space Agency into the space sector in Scotland. Three Scottish universities will benefit from the funding designed to “accelerate breakthrough technologies and boost commercialisation” in the sector.

Lochhead said: “We do work closely in Scotland with the UK Space Agency and I welcome their new financial announcements, which will support many parts of the ecosystem in Scotland in terms of the space ecosystem. But I do recognise that we need more. The Scottish Government needs to do more and, of course, my message to the UK government is we have to do a lot more financially as well. Otherwise, we are going to get outdone by all other nations and the planet."

Figures show that one fifth of all UK space sector jobs are in Scotland and that Glasgow produces more small satellites than anywhere else in Europe. The industry is predicted to be worth over £4bn to the Scottish economy by 2030.

Earlier this week the UK Government announced plans to set out a strategic approach to supporting the Scottish space sector, particularly focusing on launch capability. The commitment comes after a report by the Scottish Affairs Committee warned that Scotland was at risk of losing a “generational opportunity” to become the European leader in space launch without proper investment.

Lochhead said: “When I entered politics, Scotland did not have a recognised space sector in any organised sense.  Today we build these satellites, we develop launch systems, we produce world-class electronics and sensors and operate ground stations and deliver data services used around the world.  And of course we still have world-leading academia as well. Scotland's journey into space is not just luck, it's grown from a long lineage of innovation.”