UKspace is bringing together parliamentarians, industry leaders, finance and policy experts at the Labour Party Conference to examine how the Government's new UK Space Strategy can translate into economic growth, stronger British businesses and high-value jobs across the country.

The fringe event, 'How can the UK build a resilient and globally competitive space sector?', follows the Government's recent publication of its new UK Space Strategy, which brings together more than £7.8 billion of planned investment to 2029/30 and places economic growth, defence and national security at the heart of UK space policy.

Strategy shift: from innovation programme to strategic industry

The UK Space Strategy represents an important shift from treating space primarily as a science and innovation programme towards recognising it as a strategic national industry and critical infrastructure.

UKspace has identified the priority as delivery. The organisation emphasises that public investment must translate into UK contracts, companies achieving industrial scale, increased exports, private investment and skilled employment.

Sharon Parker-Lines, Vice-Chair of UKspace, said: "The publication of the new UK Space Strategy is an important moment for Britain's space industry. Government has recognised the strategic importance of space and brought more than £7.8 billion of planned investment together behind a single national strategy."

She added: "Britain does not lack innovative space companies or world-class technology. Our challenge is turning more of that innovation into businesses of global scale. That means converting public investment into contracts, giving companies greater visibility of Government demand, opening procurement to innovative businesses and using Government investment to crowd in substantially more private capital."

Government as customer, not just funder

A central theme of the conference discussion will be how Government can become an effective anchor customer for British space companies and use its combined purchasing power to create predictable demand.

The Strategy proposes a more coordinated and interventionist approach, including fewer, higher-value interventions, greater use of Government procurement, closer alignment between civil and defence investment, and more targeted support for high-potential businesses.

Parker-Lines emphasised the distinction: "Government should increasingly be a customer, not simply a funder. Grants can help create technology, but customers create sustainable businesses."

Panellists and discussion topics

The event (12:00–12:50) will be chaired by Zoe Grunewald and will include perspectives from Parliament, industry, finance, regional growth and the space innovation ecosystem.

Panellists are:

  • Kevin Bonavia MP – Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Space
  • Rajesh Agrawal – Chair, Space4Labour
  • Neil Monteiro – Head of Microgravity Research, SpaceForge
  • Simone Hartless – Head of Partnerships, Policy and Place, Satellite Applications Catapult

Discussion topics will include:

  • Turning the £7.8bn Space Strategy programme into measurable economic and industrial outcomes
  • Using Government procurement and aggregated demand to help UK companies scale
  • Moving promising businesses from grants and R&D into commercial contracts
  • Improving access to finance and crowding private investment into UK space companies
  • Creating clearer routes for commercial and dual-use technologies into defence procurement
  • Identifying and supporting high-potential UK space businesses
  • Connecting regional space clusters and capabilities with national programmes and global markets
  • Creating a regulatory environment that supports innovation and international competitiveness
  • Protecting UK competitiveness and market access as the European regulatory and funding environment changes
  • Establishing clear measures against which the success of the Space Strategy can be judged

Benchmarking success by 2030

UKspace has outlined how success should be measured. Parker-Lines concluded: "By 2030, success should not simply be measured by how much Government has spent; it should be measured by how many British companies have scaled, how much our exports have grown, how much private investment has been attracted, how many skilled jobs have been created and how much strategically important capability Britain can deliver for itself."