. 24/7 Space News .
SPACEMART
From ships to satellites: Scotland aims for the sky
By Mark MCLAUGHLIN
Glasgow (AFP) May 23, 2018

A shipbuilding hub since the days of the British empire, the Scottish city of Glasgow is now reaching for the stars with a growing space satellite industry.

Glasgow builds more satellites than any city outside of the United States, according to space industry experts, specialising in small "CubeSats" that can be used for anything from weather forecasting to global positioning.

"Scotland has always been famous for making ships - and today we're making spaceships," Peter Anderson, head of business development at satellite maker Clyde Space, told AFP.

The company's offices are just a few metres (yards) from the imposing Finnieston Crane, a relic of the River Clyde's shipbuilding past once used to lift tanks and steam trains onto ships.

Clyde Space launched Scotland's first ever satellite in 2014 and within two years it was producing six satellites every month.

That set off a period of rapid growth in the space industry, which insiders hope will get a further boost from rumoured plans to build two new spaceports in Scotland.

Britain's plans for a home-grown space industry have been stepped up amid concerns it will be banned after Brexit from bidding for contracts on the European Union's 9 billion pounds (10 billion euros, $12 billion) Galileo global positioning system.

The UK wants complete access to Galileo as it played a major role in the development of the system, which is expected to be fully operational in 2026, but the EU has decided to move a satellite monitoring base from Britain to Spain to "preserve security".

Prime Minister Theresa May has created a taskforce of engineering and aerospace experts, led by the UK Space Agency, "to develop options for a British Global Navigation Satellite System that would guide missiles and power satnavs", the government said.

- 'Costs more than gold' -
In Scotland, the space sector has grown by over 70 percent since 2010 to a turnover of 2.7 billion pounds last year, according to aerospace trade body ADS Scotland. The industry employs some 7,500 people, the group said.

Clyde Space shares an office complex with US satellite firm Spire Global which has built 80 satellites in Glasgow since 2014.

Spire's lead engineer Joel Spark said the company had benefited from a high-skilled workforce already in place from the days of the DotCom boom when the area was known as "Silicon Glen".

"Silicon Glen was where a lot of handset manufacturing took place, small electronic devices with radio technology, and that is very similar to what we are doing so we were able to tap into that skillset," Spark said.

The burgeoning space industry has inspired smaller startups such as AlbaOrbital, which is preparing for the launch of its first satellite, Unicorn1.

The satellite, put together in AlbaOrbital's office on the south of the River Clyde, will be strapped to a larger payload and ejected from a spring-loaded launcher like a jack in the box.

"It costs more than gold per kilogramme to launch a satellite, so the idea of making a smaller cube made a lot of sense," Tom Walkinshaw, CEO of Alba Orbital, told AFP.

- 'Lots of tiny shoestrings' -
And hopes are high that Scotland will soon have its own launchpads.

Lawmakers gathered in April on North Uist, an island off Scotland's west coast, to discuss proposals to build a vertical launch site.

Fledgling satellite firm Orbital Access recently set up shop at Prestwick Airport, near Glasgow, and UK rocket maker Skyrora has bought facilities in Edinburgh and Glasgow in anticipation of Prestwick's transformation into a spaceport.

Matjaz Vidmar, a researcher at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, said: "We are expecting, at some point in the near future, a vertical launch site somewhere in the north of Scotland. But most likely, and most immediately, there will be a horizontal launch site at Prestwick."

Horizontal launching involves carrying a rocket on a conventional aeroplane and propelling it into orbit from high altitude.

Vidmar said the rate of growth in satellite building in Scotland has been "bigger than pretty much everywhere else in this arena".

"If you put lots of tiny shoestrings together you get a pretty long piece of rope," he said.


Related Links
The latest information about the Commercial Satellite Industry


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


SPACEMART
Australian Space Agency Lost In Canberra
Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 09, 2018
The creation of an Australian Space Agency (ASA) was one of the first budget "sweeteners" leaked by the Australian government in the lead-up to the 2019 Australian federal budget. This suggested that the government expected the idea to resonate as good news, and it has certainly created a wave of hope for Australia's relatively disenfranchised space community. But much of the details remain clouded in spin and a lack of solid outlines. The subject was barely mentioned in treasurer Scott Morrison's ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

SPACEMART
NASA Invites Media to SLS Industry Day

US May Order Russian Soyuz Spacecraft to Fly Astronauts to ISS in 2020 - Source

Privatize the International Space Station? Not so fast, Congress tells Trump

Cement, extreme cold experiments head to space aboard Cygnus cargo ship

SPACEMART
Chinese private firm launches first space rocket

RL10 engine to power ULA's new Vulcan Centaur Upper Stage

Russia May Renew 'Satan' Missile Launches to Place Satellites In Orbit

US indirectly confirms existence of Russia's hypersonic weapons

SPACEMART
Sierra Nevada Corporation Hardware on NASA's Mars InSight Mission

Dorset as model to help find traces of life on Mars

Opportunity team continues studies on origin of 'Perseverance Valley'

NASA plans to send mini-helicopter to Mars

SPACEMART
China's Queqiao satellite carries "large umbrella" into deep space

Russia May Help China Create International Cosmonauts Rehabilitation Center

Sunrise for China's commercial space industry?

Chinese rewrite record, live 370 days in self-contained moon lab

SPACEMART
Goonhilly lands 24m pounds investment enabling global expansion

Iridium Makes Maritime Industry History

Australian Space Agency Lost In Canberra

In crowded field, Iraq election hopefuls vie to stand out

SPACEMART
Latest Updates from NASA on IMAGE Recovery

Focus on space debris

Space Situational Awareness is Space Battle Management

Deep space radiation treatment reboots brain's immune system

SPACEMART
Orbital variations can trigger 'snowball states' on exoplanets

Scientists crack how primordial life on Earth might have replicated itself

Atmospheric seasons could signal alien life

ANU study sheds new light on how our solar system formed

SPACEMART
Old Data Reveal New Evidence of Europa Plumes

New views of Jupiter" showcases swirling clouds on giant planet

Fresh results from NASA's Galileo spacecraft 20 years on

What do Uranus's cloud tops have in common with rotten eggs?









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.