Navigating the Final Frontier: A Recap of the Space Commercialisation Summit

techUK hosted a range of industry experts, start-up companies and stakeholders to discuss the issues for the UK space sector at our recent Space Commercialisation and Tech Summit. The event was sponsored by Exotopic and focused on the downstream capabilities of the space industry. Speakers and panelists covered several issues related to the industry, from how to attract investment and leverage international partnerships to addressing barriers to scaling up national companies.

The result was a captivating debate around key challenges and drivers for the UK to become a worldwide reference for the sector. We also had the presence of Dr. Lucy Mason, Member of the Regulatory Horizons Council. Dr. Mason presented the new RHC report, reflecting on the recommendations to the Government.

Below you can find videos from the keynote addresses in the session.

Keynote speech

After the keynote, the panel discussion touched upon the current state and future prospects of the space sector. It covered industry challenges, opportunities, investment aspects, government policies, technological integration, and strategic planning.

We are witnessing a high point in the industry, yet the UK space sector faces several challenges. Investment in the space sector is strengthening. However, companies need to be able to pivot into multiple services exploiting all potential capability of space assets to be able to compete with vertically integrated firms.

Remarks on the UK Ecosystem

In the UK, the primary issue remains a lack of a clear direction and demand for strategic planning. Industry players often prioritize other technologies in sectors with more growth potential. Nevertheless, the conclusion was positive signaling that the UK space sector could meet increased demand if government spending and commercial development were to rise exponentially.

Exploring the Potential of Future Telecoms

Visit our Future Telecoms Hub to learn more or to register for regular updates.

Future Telecoms is techUK’s exploration of what the connectivity of tomorrow will look like. We will highlight the criticality of communications to our future prosperity and economic growth, and how the future telecoms ecosystem acts as the engine of innovation. Visit our Future Telecoms Hub to learn more or to register for regular updates.