Robust Outlook for UK Space Sector

Employment in the space sector, described as “booming” by the UK’s space technology cluster in Oxfordshire, saw employment grow at 19% in 2018 with 150 new jobs created across the organisations based at the Harwell Campus over the last year alone and a further 35 new jobs expected for the UK’s £99m National Satellite Test Facility.

Collectively employing over 950 people, the 89 organisations that make up the Harwell Space Cluster are a group of commercial, public and academic organisations focused on driving innovation in the UK space market and supporting the UK space sector as it aims for a 10% share of the multi-billion pound global market by 2030.

Announcing the growth figures at the annual STFC RAL Space Conference, Dr Joanna Hart, Harwell Space Cluster Development Manager said: “We are celebrating job creation in Oxfordshire as well as the vital role that space organisations based at Harwell Campus take in shaping the UK space sector. We have a unique talent pool in the area and as the Space Cluster continues to grow, we want to create more jobs, taking advantage not only of the science and technology capabilities of people in the region but also the entrepreneurs and people working in the knowledge economy that enable the Space Cluster to thrive.”

With the central stakeholders of the cluster being the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) RAL Space facility, the European Space Agency, Satellite Applications Catapult and the UK Space Agency, the cluster is attracting many companies to set up operations at Harwell Campus. Funding and collaboration opportunities are extensive and businesses from start-ups to multinationals all benefit from being co-located with the over £2billion of national science facilities on-site.