Scotland leads the way in UK space sector jobs

Scotland has seen a boost in space jobs and now accounts for a fifth of the UK space workforce, according to a report.

A survey of firms by the UK Space Agency showed employment in the sector north of the border grew by nearly 9.6% in 2020, to 8,440.

The UK sector as a whole saw its jobs total rise by 6.7%, to 46,995.

The announcement comes as the UK's first vertical small satellite launches are set to take place from Scottish spaceports.

In February, planning permission was granted for the construction of a spaceport in the far north of Scotland.

Shetland Islands Council said work to prepare the Saxavord Spaceport could proceed, provided Scottish ministers did not call the project in for review.

Under the plans, three rocket pads are to be built at the Lamba Ness peninsula in Unst.

Meanwhile, plans for a spaceport near Tongue in Sutherland cleared a major legal hurdle in September when a Scottish Land Court judge approved a change of use of an area of croft land for the building of the facility.

The UK Space Agency said Scotland was "leading the way" in space sector jobs growth.

It said spaceports were likely to lead to further jobs in the coming years, fuelled by the growth of regional space clusters, international investment and emerging technologies.

UK Science Minister George Freeman said the employment boost in the space sector was "promising in the face of global economic headwinds".

He said: "We're backing this innovative and resilient industry through the largest ever increase to research and development spending, which includes a significant uplift to the UK Space Agency's budget, and the delivery of the UK's first National Space Strategy."

He added: "Looking ahead to the first satellite launches from the UK this year, this is an exciting time for this high growth sector up and down the country."

In October, the Scottish government unveiled a plan to expand Scotland's space industry.

Among the aims of the Scottish Space Strategy is to build a network of satellite launch sites.

The Scottish government worked with enterprise agencies, industry group Space Scotland and the Scottish Space Academic Forum on the project.

It also includes an ambition to support the creation of a "green" space industry.