Following a recent cinema trip to see the latest Men in Black movie, it got me thinking – what’s Scotland doing to reach for the stars?
Turns out that the truth is out there – and by ‘there’, I mean right under our noses with no cloaking devices required.
While the MiBs’ intergalactic police force continues to go global on the big screen, it seems Scotland’s space sector is creating a big bang, not only for the country’s economy, but the impressive level of innovation and development we’re now showcasing on the national stage.
From small steps such as a growing number of space-tech SMEs, to giant leaps like the announcement of the UK’s very first spaceport launching as early as next year on the northern tip of Scotland, we’re firmly on the launch pad and counting down to this modern day space race.
The aforementioned spaceport has already seen Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) handed a generous £2.5m towards development costs from the UK government, with Shetland, Prestwick and Campbeltown also set for their own launch sites.
Even last week, a stratospheric balloon was fired into the great unknown from Shetland Space Centre, marking our first trek to the stars – although it’s safe to say that we’re a wee while away from packing our bags to Mars just yet.
Despite this, the economic benefits of the Scottish space sector are seeing lift-off with the industry set to be worth an estimated £4 billion by 2030, according to a report from Innovation Minister Ivan McKee earlier this year.
Nearly a fifth of all UK space jobs are based in Scotland and that number is ambitiously rising as findings from a 2018 UK Space Industry report showed a 27 per cent increase in the number of space-related organisations in Scotland.
And while it may come as quite a surprise to some, the gravity of the situation is clear when you hear that Glasgow is known across the sector as ‘the satellite capital of the UK’. In fact, by building more satellites than any other city across Europe over the past two years, the city has shown that its shipbuilding roots have evolved into something else entirely.
The spirit of adventure remains the same – we’re just mapping out a very different region and setting our sights far higher.
Contemplating our burgeoning space-tech sector conjures up images of the kind of intergalactic behemoths which you expect a Bond villain to plot the end of the world from – but separating the sci-fi from the sci-facts, Glasgow has an extremely good turnaround on building these satellites.
That’s helped by the fact that they’re nano-satellites, which are something like the size of a loaf of bread or a six pack of Irn Bru.
Companies such as Clyde Space and Spire Global, both based in the heart of Glasgow, have contributed to over 100 satellites launched into space over just five years.
Some companies’ stated aims include churning out one satellite a week with hopes of eventually tripling production. So just think – every time you see a new column from me, another Scottish spacecraft may have been born.
Few things to me are as alien as the thought of exploring space, but with over 7,000 jobs created and more than £130 million contributed to the Scottish economy already, our space odyssey is well and truly here.
Retail evolution shows a mixed picture for Scotland.
Online sales now account for an ever-increasing proportion of the retail sector. A Retail Economics report predicts that online will take more than half of all retail sales within the next decade.
While physical stores are struggling, online sales remain a silver lining. Matalan saw a 30 per cent online sales bump in the first quarter of the year, and Lidl is creating 500 jobs with 12 new stores across Scotland.
The business community will be watching these developments closely.
Laugh
Glasgow University alumni make a difference.
John Shaw and his wife donated over £6m to the university. This gift will fund a new research hub at the Western campus and a professional chair in precision oncology. A fantastic legacy from a former student!
Weep
The Ivy Buchanan Street opens its doors.
Glasgow’s foodie scene is set to welcome The Ivy Buchanan Street at the end of the month, creating a stir in the city. The popular chain has already found success in Edinburgh, but time will tell if it replicates that success in the west.
