Ach, Scotland, eh? Always reaching for the stars, sometimes tripping over our own feet while doing it. The news this past week about our burgeoning space sector has been a right mixed bag, a wee bit like a Glasgow summer, bright sunshine one minute, a sudden downpour the next.
On one hand, there’s a real buzz about five Scottish firms getting a slice of £150,000 from Scottish Enterprise. They’re collaborating with our Nordic pals, using satellite data to tackle earthly problems, which sounds like something straight out of a futuristic episode of ‘Taggart’ if Taggart ever went into space. Trios Renewables is looking at wind farms, Clyde Space checking on carbon, Frontierra on deforestation, EnvironmentSystems on peatlands, and Sensfish helping out reefs. It’s all very clever, very forward-thinking.
Nicola Anderson, the newly-appointed director of scaling innovation at Scottish Enterprise, said: “This project and these companies are a really fantastic example of how Scotland is an internationally collaborative innovation nation.” She also added that the space sector here is “growing at pace, with bold ambitions and huge potential to bring a positive impact across our economy, environment and wider society.”
And you know what? I believe her, mostly. The numbers certainly paint a rosy picture. We’re talking about a sector valued at £381 million in income in 2022/23, with a gross value added of £880 million, and a projected jump to a whopping £4 billion by 2030. That’s serious money, the kind that could put a fair few tatties on the table and keep the lights on across the country. It speaks to that inherent Scottish ingenuity, that can-do spirit that built the Forth Bridge and invented penicillin.
But then, just as you’re getting your hopes up, the rug gets pulled. The news about Orbex, a Moray-based rocket firm, going into administration, losing 163 jobs, well, that’s a sore one, isn’t it? It’s a stark reminder that for all the talk of billions and bold ambitions, there are real people, real families, affected when things go pear-shaped. One minute you’re building rockets, the next you’re on the dole queue. That’s the hard truth of it.
I can’t help but wonder about the timing. We’re celebrating £150,000 spread across five promising companies, which is grand, don’t get me wrong. But at the same time, 163 skilled jobs vanish into the ether with Orbex. It makes you think, doesn’t it? Is the support for these fledgling companies strong enough to prevent similar fates down the line? Are we putting enough into securing the foundations of this ‘rapidly growing’ sector, or are we just admiring the pretty lights?
It’s a bit like building a grand new castle but forgetting to reinforce the foundations. We’ve seen how quickly things can unravel in other sectors, and it reminds me of the ongoing struggles our local councils are running out of money, facing tough choices despite grand national ambitions. The potential buyers for Orbex’s assets, including the rocket manufacturing facility and the Sutherland Spaceport site, give a glimmer of hope, but a suspended development for over a year at Sutherland? That’s not exactly a sign of a sector firing on all cylinders, is it? It suggests a fragility beneath the shiny surface, a concern that Scottish politics often feels like a tightrope walk when it comes to economic development.
Scotland has always been a nation of innovators, from James Watt to Alexander Graham Bell, but innovation needs more than just bright ideas, it needs sustained investment and a strong ecosystem that can weather the storms. Nicola Anderson said Scottish Enterprise’s mission is “to support ambitious Scottish companies to innovate and scale”, and I hope that extends to catching them when they stumble, too. It’s about more than just the initial boost, it’s about long-term sustainability for the future of our economy.
I think about the folks in Moray, those 163 workers. For them, the ‘bold ambitions’ of the space sector are now a bitter memory. It’s a reminder that while we look to the stars, we’ve got to keep our feet firmly planted on Scottish soil, supporting the people who make these ambitions a reality. It’s not just about the numbers, it’s about livelihoods and the real impact on our communities.
So, where does this leave us? With a sense of cautious optimism, I suppose. The ingenuity is there, the potential is massive, and the drive to innovate is as strong as ever. But we must learn from the Orbex situation. We need to ensure that our ‘innovation nation’ narrative isn’t just about the successes, but also about building resilience, protecting jobs, and having a safety net when the rockets don’t quite make it to orbit. Otherwise, we might find ourselves with plenty of stars to gaze at, but too many empty pockets on the ground. That would be a real shame for Scotland, wouldn’t it?
Source Reference: Herald Scotland
Learn more about Scotland’s Space Policy or visit the Scottish Enterprise website.
