Surrey and Hampshire team-up to dominate UK space industry

Space South Central organisations already create £1.64bn of export revenue and £65m in foreign direct investment annually, according to the University of Surrey, which is part of the cluster.

It also claims the South East is responsible for £4.2bn (~25%) of UK space-related income, with Surrey and Hampshire estimated to account for up to £3bn of UK space-related turn-over.

It estimates >5,600 people work in the space sector in the two counties. Airbus, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Spur Electron, Earth-I, In-Space Missions, KISPE, ICEYE, ViaSat and SSTL are amongst the companies in the area.

“Our regional cluster will help academic institutions and industry – large and small – to develop collaborative projects and link together their expertise,” said Surrey Professor of Space Engineering Professor Keith Ryden. “There is already a strong, skilled workforce in the area contributing to the space industry and research supporting it, but the partnership will ensure those skills are maintained and increased to meet future needs.”