by The country’s space sector is now aligning with Net Zero goals
Scotland’s connection to the stars goes unnoticed in the rest of the world.
People outside the sector may not yet realize that this country is on the verge of achieving “end-to-end” capability in the space industry, but there is a growing awareness around the world of the innovations being made here. .
There are now over 150 companies in Scotland’s space sector covering everything from building satellites and launch vehicles to developing launch ports and analyzing data sent back from space.
Scotland is also at the forefront of space sustainability and efforts to find solutions to the pollution and debris generated by the sector are attracting attention from major players such as the European Space Agency and NASA.
Space Scotland, a not-for-profit industry body representing the sector, has a dedicated Environmental Task Force, with more than 20 member companies on that working group alone.
The main driving force behind the initiative is Daniel Smith from AstroAgency who realized that the sector needed to be part of Scotland’s net zero ambitions to move forward.
Daniel Smith from AstroAgency
“You’d be forgiven for thinking at first that space couldn’t contribute to net-zero targets due to pollution from rocket launches and the debris floating around in space,” he said. “However, because we are a close-knit community working to find differentiators for the success of our commercial space sector, we can share examples of truly sustainable space initiatives. It’s like a living laboratory where we can innovate and experiment, building sustainability in from the ground up.”
In 2020, the task force called for environmental challenges to solve space and schools, universities and businesses responded to around 30 different challenges for the group.
“My colleague Kristina Tamane and volunteers from across industry, academia and government ran workshops and explored solutions, and then presented the results at an event attended by Friends of the Earth, the European Space Agency, UK Space and the First Minister of Scotland,” said Daniel.
“Now, as many countries shape their own space sustainability strategies, they are looking to us as we have provided exemplary guidance.”
About a year after the first workshops, Scotland’s Spatial Strategy was created which included a dedicated sustainability pillar. This was followed 12 months later by the world’s first space sustainability roadmap drawn up by AstroAgency and partners Optimat for Space Scotland and Scottish Enterprise.
“The roadmap helps guide the Task Force and it’s not just a chart or another action plan, it’s deliberate work packages to ensure tangible outputs,” said Daniel.
“There are some really bold points within it, including longer-term ideas that link progress on sustainability with eligibility for funding and examine how companies can take a broader approach to reducing their impact on the environment .
“We want results for our industry and our planet. Everyone we dealt with liked the idea of dealing directly with environmental aspects.”
Until now talk of space sustainability has tended to focus on debris from old satellites and rockets in space, but the roadmap is unique in that it covers everything from developing more sustainable rocket fuels to ensuring that supply chains are playing their part. part.
Its uniqueness, together with the importance of satellite data to support environmental protection, is the reason why Daniel was invited to Cop28 with the Prime Minister, after giving talks to UN governments, Already the Space Agency of Portugal, Switzerland, South Korea and Australia.
Space Scotland has also prepared a guidance package on equality, diversity and inclusion to help recruit more people into the emerging industry.
“In my day job at AstroAgency we support more than 50 companies and seven governments to promote their space activity, but Scotland is the perfect place for us to be based because of the activity that is going on here, ” said Daniel.
“This country builds more small satellites than anywhere else in the world outside the US. We have companies like Spire and Clyde Space that are building satellites as well as companies like Skyrora and Orbex that are developing vehicles – rockets – to fuel their own green propulsion technologies. Then there are the developing spaceports which mean we should see the first successful launch of small satellites into orbit from European soil next year – the missing piece of our ‘end-to-end’ puzzle.”
The end of the value chain is data and the information coming from these satellites is analyzed and used for various purposes, such as tracking endangered species, identifying human trafficking or illegal mining, deforestation or wildfires.
As the space sector continues to grow it will need new talent and Daniel said the new pilot pack was prepared to dispel any perception that the sector was only for engineers and scientists.
“We need more coders and analysts for example if we are going to continue what we have started in Scotland in relation to space,” he said.
astroagency.co.uk
