Scotland’s space industry is ready for larger expansion. It has some of the most ambitious plans in terms of increasing workforce numbers and positioning itself as a leader in the increasingly competitive global launch market. Recent activity indicates a quickening advance along the adoption curve. Projections indicate that this growing sector will have the potential for up to 20,000 jobs in the next ten years. Currently, some 8,000 people are employed in space-related occupations throughout Scotland. Given that only 15 years ago the country had no capabilities to launch into space nor produced its own satellites, this growth truly is mind-boggling.
Millie Brown, a student with a lack of prior interest in the space sector, found her passion. Her enthusiasm grew after meeting industry professionals and firms throughout her course. She noted, “The Scottish space sector is growing at a really quick rate, so the skills I’ve learned here are going to be really helpful going forward.”
Dr. Christie Maddock, director of the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications, highlighted the impressive transformation of Scotland’s space capacity. That change has been dramatic over the past quarter century. “Fifteen years ago, we didn’t do any launches; twenty-five years ago, we didn’t make any satellites,” she stated. This historical context drives home the incredible change that has occurred during a very short period of time.
Under this developing new climate, businesses such as Clyde Space have seen significant expansion. Andrew Strain, the company’s director, boasted that his labor force has exploded. It had increased from a meager two employees to an astounding 200 over the last 20 years! We’ve got folks coming in from the area colleges, universities, we’ve got apprentices. Strain elaborated that we have been drawing our workforce from adjacent sectors—that of assembly and manufacturing. For many of them, it is their first experience inside the space sector.
Visionary industry leaders such as Derek Harris underscore a prophetic call for dedicated, expert employees. They further urge the creation of broader manufacturing jobs to build on recent positive trends. He noted that commercial launches are increasing, most notably with the anticipated small satellite launches from SaxaVord in Unst, Shetland in 2026. This growth will lead to a tremendous need for trained and experienced workers. Harris shone a light on another major deficit – the lack of diversity at the top. He underlined companies’ difficulties as they compete for workers with renewables, oil and gas, defence and the broader manufacturing sectors.
The prospects for Scotland’s space sector are indeed very promising. Once it’s fully operational, SaxaVord expects to launch up to 30 rockets annually. This will help position Scotland as a strategic leader in the burgeoning space launch industry. Ingmar Kamalagharan, head of education and future workforce at the UK Space Agency, underscored just how much the industry is progressing. He added that it is “ever-changing” and is always growing.
We can’t blame students like Farboud Foroughi for being so inspired by the field. He really transmitted his lifelong love for space with such gusto. He nostalgically remembered the cake from his seventh birthday, which he had shaped like a space shuttle. “I would like to become either a navigation and control engineer for satellites or a systems engineer for typical space systems,” Foroughi said, reflecting the aspirations of many young individuals entering the sector.
The need for specialized workers can be seen all throughout Scotland’s 230-some active space firms and entities. The industry is growing by leaps and bounds. …we’re going to require just as many of them in the coming 10 years, meaning that educational institutions and industry players need to work in concert with one another.