Space-Comm Expo to Showcase Scotland’s Launch Ambitions

The European Space Agency last week 9 July successfully launched its new Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket from French Guiana and one of the major talking points of Space-Comm Expo Scotland will undoubtedly be Scotland and the UK’s rocket launch ambitions.

 

Space-Comm Expo Scotland at SEC Glasgow 11-12 September will be the biggest space industry event ever held in Scotland featuring over 60 speakers, including UK Space Agency and European Space Agency, over 75 exhibitors and attracting 3,000 attendees. Registration is free to attend, so order your free tickets here.

 

The event programme will feature a wide range of discussions including satellite manufacturing, cyber security, robotics and space sustainability, but perhaps one of the most anticipated sessions will explore ‘Strategic Pathways for Developing Advanced Launch Capabilities’. Panel guests will include UK Space Agency, Civil Aviation Authority and Orbex, whilst in the audience attendees at the event will include global leaders and thought leaders from across government, aerospace, defence and academia.

 

Scotland is home to five spaceports who collaborated in 2020 to create Scotland’s Spaceport Alliance with three vertical launch sites SaxaVord, Sutherland and Spaceport 1 and two horizontal air launch sites Prestwick and Machrihanish Airbase. The aim of the alliance was to accelerate progress on regulation, governance and international partnerships.

 

In December 2023 SaxaVord in Shetland became the UK’s first approved spaceport with a licence from the Civil Aviation Authority and the first in mainland Western Europe. The vertical launch permit allows for up to 30 launches a year for small satellites and other payloads.

SaxaVord has a number of launch operators with German rocket firm HyImpulse aiming for sub-orbital launches before the end of 2024 – potentially in September – with orbital launches from 2025. Another German company, Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), is planning orbital launches, followed by Lockheed Martin/ABL Space Systems with the official UK Government Pathfinder Mission.

 

Two Scottish based rocket launch factories are also in the countdown for Scotland’s launch ambitions, with another SaxaVord customer Skyrora based in Edinburgh, and Orbex progressing construction of Sutherland Spaceport based in the Scottish Highlands. Both SaxaVord and Sutherland spaceports are supported by a combination of government and commercial funding.

 

Location is key to success with Scotland ideally placed for launching satellites over the North Sea and Atlantic into both polar and sun-synchronous orbits for various applications, including earth observation, weather tracking, communications and security.

 

The race for space will be at the forefront of speakers and conversations amongst exhibitors at Space-Comm Expo with Scottish spaceports, Skyrora, Orbex and multiple launch operators competing not only with each other, but also with Norway’s Andoya Spaceport with Isar Aerospace and Sweden’s Esrange Space Centre with Firefly Aerospace for mainland Europe launch capabilities.

 

Join us at Space-Comm Expo to learn more about Scotland’s thriving space industry at the forefront of the UK’s ambitions with over 150 space companies, employing over 8,000 people. Scotland builds and designs more satellites than anywhere outside of California and aims to be Europe’s leading space nation by 2030.

 

Space-Comm Expo Scotland is supported by UK Space Agency, UKSpace, Innovate UK KTN, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Government, Space Scotland, South Scotland Enterprise, FinTech Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

 

Learn more about exhibitors, speakers and the event programme, and register for free to attend

 

For information and to get involved email: spacecomm@hubexhibitions.co.uk

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