The UK space industry has shown it is thriving on the global stage, with millions of pounds in funding, record-breaking industry turnover and new innovations announced at Space-Comm Expo 2023.
Representing a sector that directly employs 48,800 people, including 2,300 apprentices, Space-Comm Expo welcomed thousands of space professionals, organisations, agencies and government officials from 34 countries to Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre 7-8 June 2023.
“We’re at the heart of the space industry, heart of the aerospace industry,” said Gareth Rogers, Chief Executive Officer at Farnborough International. “We are 60% up on the prior year, it just shows how important it is both to the UK, but also how important Farnborough is to that industry in terms of convening people and bringing them together.”
Hub Exhibitions
Organised by Hub Exhibitions in partnership with Farnborough International, Space-Comm is the UK’s biggest space-focused expo with a presence of over 150 exhibitors and 100 keynote speakers and experts across the programme. Cementing its position as the UK’s leading and largest space exhibition, Space-Comm Expo is a valued opportunity for the space sector to build new partnerships and announce new projects and investment.
According to a new Space Sector Outlook by ADS Group in partnership with UKSpace, the UK’s space sector added £7 billion in value to the UK economy in 2022, while turnover from space organisations reached £17.5 billion and products and services exported by the sector grew to £5.9 billion in the same period.
Space-Comm Expo 2023
Astronaut Tim Peake opened the show’s programme with a valuable discussion on the need to drive interest and innovation to grow the future workforce of the space industry, and was joined by the likes of Minister of State For Science, Research & Innovation George Freeman MP; UK Space Agency’s CEO Dr Paul Bate; Director Of Commercialisation, Industry & Competitiveness at European Space Agency (ESA) Geraldine Naja; UKSpace’s President Dr Alice Bunn; and Minister for Small Business, Innovation And Trade Richard Lochhead MSP on stage throughout the two-day event.
Commenting on the success of the expo, Rob Sherwood, Managing Director of Hub Exhibitions, said, “It has been an incredible two days converging professionals from all over the space ecosystem at Space-Comm Expo. As the industry continues to accelerate, the show has seen exponential growth over the last three years, proving the appetite, interest and value of the UK space sector and Space-Comm’s pivotal role in the global market as a place where business is done.”
