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Our 'hot takes' and key insights from the series:

Space tech is no longer niche - it’s national infrastructure. If satellites go down, so does the economy.

The UK excels in the brains of space, not the brawn. We lead in data, AI, cyber, sensing, and autonomy - not necessarily rockets.

Public imagination needs a reboot. The UK does way more in space than people think - we need to showcase the innovation happening now.

Satellites are the "silent enablers" of modern life. From Google Maps to Netflix to disaster response, space tech powers it all.

Software is where the real value lies - it’s a high-growth sector with low barriers to entry, and one where the UK’s strengths truly shine.

If the UK doesn’t build it, we’ll rent it. Not investing in sovereign capabilities means paying foreign providers, often at a premium.

Key takeaways from each podcast:

Invest 2035 Strategy (feat. Lord Victor Adebowale CBE)

• Space and satellites align closely with the UK’s industrial strategy (Invest 2035) priorities, yet are not explicitly included - creating an opportunity for the sector to make the case for greater recognition and targeted support.
• The sector is growing up to 4.7 times faster than the wider UK economy, with untapped potential across sectors like healthcare, climate monitoring, and urban planning.
• Despite strong innovation (5th globally), the UK lags in competitiveness and knowledge absorption. High barriers to entry and limited scale-up support risk driving startups abroad.
• The UK has strengths in small satellites and emerging areas like in-orbit servicing. Strategic backing can turn these into long-term competitive advantages.
• From AI-powered analytics to space-based quantum computing, the sector holds transformative potential. Long-term government commitment can unlock jobs, investment, and global influence.

Digital Technologies (feat. Paul Brabant, HSAT.ai)

• Satellite data and AI can revolutionize agriculture, from forecasting yields to optimizing supply chains.
• Satellites provide near real-time insight into environmental conditions - crucial for responding to climate events.
• Earth observation data is widely available and increasingly low-cost, opening it up for broader applications (ESA provides much of it free).
• Space tech enables AI innovation, tapping into the UK’s existing strengths in science and software engineering.
• Use cases go beyond agriculture: malaria prediction, climate monitoring, and even quantum computing could benefit.

Defence (feat. Peter Death, CGI)

• Defence is foundational: no economy can thrive without security.
• Space has become critical national infrastructure - GPS, satellite comms, and missile warning systems all originated in defence.
• Cybersecurity of satellites is a major emerging threat. Attacks may not be physical but digital.
• The UK’s expertise in space weather forecasting is a national asset with both military and civilian applications.
• Defence spending in space leads to broader economic benefits, mirroring historical examples like GPS and radar.

Advanced Manufacturing (feat. David Leslie, Lab287)

• Space offers unique environments - microgravity, vacuum, and extreme cold - for high-precision manufacturing.
• Potential applications include: Pharmaceuticals (e.g. improved drugs to enable chemotherapy delivery at home, without the need for IV administration); Semiconductors (e.g. gallium nitride crystals for next-gen electronics); Fiber optics with lower attenuation; Even chocolate with superior crystal structure (yes, really)
• The UK’s strengths in robotics, software, and life sciences make it uniquely suited to lead in space-based manufacturing.

Strategic Reflections from The PSC Team:

Final Thought: The UK Must Stake its Claim

Space is not optional - it’s the infrastructure behind everything from digital tech and defence to manufacturing and health. The UK is well-positioned to lead, but only if the government backs its own talent and picks key priorities in the upcoming industrial strategy.

This wrap-up episode makes it clear: the UK space and satellite industry is ready to deliver, but now it needs the industrial focus and public support to thrive.

If you missed them, catch up on our first four episodes in the series:

• Episode 1: with Lord Victor Adebowale, who introduces the government's Invest 2035 industrial strategy, and where we discuss the role that space and satellites could play within it.
• Episode 2: with Paul Brabant from HSAT.ai, where we discuss the role of space and satellites in the digital and technology sector, and how satellite technology is revolutionsing our oldest sector, agriculture.
• Episode 3: with Peter Death from CGI, where we discuss the role of space in defence, and how this is key for economic growth and national stability. 
• Episode 4: with David Leslie from Lab287, where we discuss how we can unlock new potentials with advanced manufacturing in space, from better chemotherapy drugs and fibre optics, to space chocolate. 

About the podcast series:

In ‘The PSC in Coversation: Space for Growth’, we are joined by different guests to explore the role that the space and satellite industry plays in three out of seven of the growth driving sectors of the economy, as identified by the Invest 2035 strategy: digital and technology, defence, and advanced manufacturing. The strategy went out to consultation in the autumn of last year - The PSC submitted a response to this alongside people from across UK industry and academia, and the government has just finished considering our response alongside everyone else's.