I am delighted to welcome you all to the 2012 UK Space Directory. I thank both the Technology Strategy Board and the Space Special Interest Group for their help in producing this valuable reference book.
Our Government continues to look to the space sector to be part of the engine for economic growth. Industry strives to bring innovation to the ways that it does business and the whole sector seeks opportunities to explore avenues for growth. There is also great effort being made towards meeting the demanding targets set out in the Innovation and Growth Strategy. This Strategy outlines a 20 year blueprint for the UK space industry and aims to see Britain become a leader in the global space landscape, as well as contributing revenue, jobs and value to the UK economy.
There has been considerable activity in the UK space scene in the last couple of years: Ministers have established the Space Leadership Council, the UK Space Agency has been set up and ISIC has taken shape at Harwell. To add to that list, this year David Willetts MP the Minister with responsibility for Space announced the decision to form a Satellite Applications Catapult Centre, responsible to the Technology Strategy Board for “generating growth across the economy through satellite enabled business”- further evidence of a re-energising of the space sector.
I and my team at UKspace look forward to working with all the various organisations listed in this directory. Despite the economic gloom that surrounds us at the moment, I believe we have much to be confident about as we seek out those opportunities to drive the space sector forward to be a vital part of our economy.
Ruy Pinto, Group Chief Technology Officer, Inmarsat, Chair of UKspace – the UK trade body for space. “Space can increasingly be seen as an important potential source of economic growth, social wellbeing and sustainable development”- OECD, The Space Economy at a Glance, 2011.