Glasgow has become a leading European hub for building small satellites, a development that began with engineer Craig Clark establishing Clyde Space in 2005. The city's success in the space industry was largely organic, not initially planned by the government, and was supported by partnerships with institutions like the University of Strathclyde.
The Scottish Government states that Glasgow now produces more small satellites than any other location in Europe. These small satellites, often CubeSats measuring 10cm by 10cm by 10cm, are cheaper and quicker to develop than larger models and are used for various purposes, including communication, navigation, and environmental monitoring.
The broader space industry in Scotland generated £335m in income during 2022-23, marking a 69% increase over five years. Employment in the sector, excluding traditional satellite television broadcasting, rose by 81% to 2,811 people over the same period. Space manufacturing alone accounted for over 1,000 Scottish jobs in 2022-23, contributing £202m to the Scottish economy.
Despite this growth, there are warnings about increasing competition from other European countries. Germany, for instance, plans to invest approximately €35bn (£30bn) in military space capabilities, including over 100 encrypted communications satellites. Experts suggest that UK public space funding lags behind countries like France and Germany, posing a risk that investment and jobs could shift away from Glasgow and the wider UK space sector.