Following a year of growing momentum, the UK space tech industry is on course for a blockbuster 2023 that will see the first vertical rocket launch from British soil.
Virgin Orbit’s plan to launch a satellite from Spaceport Cornwall has been pushed into 2023 due to “technical” issues.
Space tech startups such as Edinburgh-based Skyrora have also made significant progress, opening a dedicated rocket-engine facility in Cumbernauld. Meanwhile, OneWeb merged with Eutelsat and the government announced it’s trialling Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet.
But what giant leaps will there be in 2023 for the UK space tech industry? UKTN asked six industry leaders to find out.
‘Sustainability in space’
“Inevitably we will see how the intricacies of vertical launch sites are to be ironed out on these shores, with the view towards more complex launches. While the UK is yet to see a significant uplift in funding for this sub-sector, the increased coordination around launch should galvanise investors into making a move. The technology is in place for the UK to have an agile and mobile launch infrastructure and market demand for a variety of in-orbit services is only going to grow stronger in the year ahead....