Space Industrial Plan:
from ambition to action - advancing UK space
industry
Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation (): The Department for
Science, Innovation and Technology recently passed the one-year
milestone since its creation. A year in which we have firmly
embedded our mission and delivered against it – driving
innovation that will improve public services, create new
well-paid jobs, and grow the economy.
The UK is already ranked by the World Bank as the best place to
do business amongst large European nations, combined with the
City of London and the research strengths of our universities,
our space sector is poised to support our growth ambitions.
Our commitment to innovation and enterprise, backed by a globally
competitive tax regime and smart regulation, uniquely positions
us at the forefront of technological advancement and economic
growth in space.
For the UK space sector, our National Space Strategy encapsulates
not just my department’s mission, but the whole of government’s
ambition to develop one of the world’s most innovative and
attractive space economies. As part of that journey, we published
the National Space Strategy in Action in July 2023, setting out
our key next steps on the road to achieving that ambition.
Today we take another a significant step towards unlocking growth
and developing resilience in the UK space sector, with the
publication of government’s Space Industrial Plan.
Building on the foundations of our National and Defence Space
Strategies, the Space Industrial Plan is a joint civil-defence
publication that sets out our new way of working with the
commercial space sector, modernising our approach, and giving the
sector greater confidence to invest. We set out clear, timed
missions and actions deliverable through a shared endeavour with
the sector to address the long-term problems facing the nation:
improving economic security and opportunity for everyone.
This plan sends a strong demand signal to, and provides clarity
for, UK space companies and investors, giving them the confidence
to invest long-term in the sector. We have been decisive in
sequencing the first five national space capability goals where
we want the UK to excel, agreed by the National Space Council.
These capabilities will support UK government in fulfilling its
commitments and legal obligations, target specific needs of the
citizen, and drive our future ambitions to unlock new markets.
These capabilities are underpinned by a set of intervention
areas, describing how we will utilise our main government levers
to shape the business environment in pursuit of our ambitions.
We have heard and understood the challenges facing UK space
companies, and we want the world’s space entrepreneurs and
innovators to come to the UK because it offers the best possible
place to make their visions happen.
We are committed to making the UK the most attractive country for
space industry investment, driving prosperity and security across
the nation.
