Space & Space Enabled

It is a sector which presents many opportunities for new products and services and which has significant potential for growth.

The downstream and wide space economy includes applications and services using satellite data:

• geographical information,
• meteorological information
• location and navigation (GPS),
• precise timing,
• communications,

These applications and services may support a variety of sectors including agriculture, transport and logistics, retail, financial services, energy, assisted living….

Some key growth areas include location based services which provide information, content and services - including applications for smart phones, tablets, cameras and fitness devices.  These include applications such as games, tourism and fitness.  There are also technical challenges to be solved, e.g. indoor positioning.  Other related areas include 'Internet of Things', autonomous vehicles, smart cities.

The upstream sectors includes precision engineering, design, and manufacturing of products and services such as:

• payload (satellites, sensors, experiments),
• launch vehicles
• ground control systems
• sub-systems

These areas present key engineering challenges e.g. arising from hostile environments, the need for light weighting, operating remotely.

Resources

Sources of support for businesses in this sector