UK Space Economy Industry RTIC
Real-Time Industrial Classifications

UK Space Economy

Discover the size and growth of the UK’s emerging Space Economy and uncover the companies boldly going where no man has gone before using real-time industrial data.

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What is the Space Economy?

The UK’s Space Economy is made up of a growing ecosystem of companies and organisations that work across manufacturing, operations, applications and other ancillary services. These companies participate in a number of space-related activities such as satellite services, spacecraft production, governance, research and more.

The UK’s Space Industry has grown significantly in recent years alongside the ambition to capture 10% of the global space market by 2030, and shows no sign of stopping.

Space Economy summary

Discover real-time data and insights sourced directly from The Data City platform, driven by our innovative Real-Time Industrial Classifications (RTICs). Our RTICs harness the power of web data and machine learning, and are published with industry experts for precision and relevance.

Here are the key facts about the Space Economy sector. The sector has a turnover of £46.6bn currently, has received £3.9bn of investment and the sector is growing at 0.3% per year.

2,189
COMPANIES CONSIDERED
£46.6bn
TOTAL TURNOVER
248,321
TOTAL EMPLOYEES
£3.9bn
TOTAL INVESTMENT FUNDING
£559.5m
TOTAL INNOVATE UK GRANT FUNDING
0.3%
AVERAGE COMPANY GROWTH PER YEAR

Space Economy verticals

Our industry data goes deep. See the top verticals and specialisms making waves in the UK Space Economy industry today.

Our Space Economy RTIC is made up of 22 individual verticals. The top verticals in this sector include Mapping, and Hardware. You can find out more about the verticals by downloading our RTIC report, or by signing up for a free trial of The Data City platform.

  • Sector Code Description Records
  • RTIC0066 Space Economy 2189 companies

    Companies involved in the space industry including providing satellite services, launch services, governance, and fundamental research.

    • Space Economy: Communications

      Companies supplying technologies involved in providing inter-satellite or satellite to ground communications for data downlink.

      178 companies
    • Space Economy: Cyber Security and Encryption

      Companies developing technologies involved in the security of satellite data including cybersecurity software and cryptography.

      91 companies
    • Space Economy: Data Infrastructures

      Companies providing the technologies and infrastructure involved in the storage and processing of satellite data after downlink.

      184 companies
    • Space Economy: Engineering

      Companies building the equipment and facilities, and supplying services which enable the engineering, manufacturing, and testing of space systems.

      200 companies
    • Space Economy: Exploration

      Companies developing the technologies which enable human spaceflight activities for tourism, science, and exploration.

      36 companies
    • Space Economy: Geospatial Analytics

      Companies that possess analytics capabilities for optical imagery, radar imagery, and geolocation data.

      112 companies
    • Space Economy: Geospatial Platforms

      Companies delivering digital platforms which involve software to process, analyse, and access geospatial data.

      141 companies
    • Space Economy: Ground Segment

      Organisations providing the technologies and infrastructure involved in the ground segment of data downlink including ground stations, services, and terminals.

      56 companies
    • Space Economy: Hardware

      Companies producing space hardware, which includes satellites and space sub-systems for propulsion, thermal, mechanical, power, control, robotic, communications, and payloads.

      297 companies
    • Space Economy: High Altitude Platforms

      Organisations supplying aerial platforms which operate in the atmosphere and stratosphere including balloons, airships, drones, and other UAVs.

      22 companies
    • Space Economy: In-orbit manufacturing

      Organisations developing the technologies which enable in-orbit activities including research and manufacturing in microgravity.

      184 companies
    • Space Economy: Launch Infrastructure

      Organisations dedicated to the development of infrastructure enabling the operation of launch vehicles including launch pads, spaceports, and mission control facilities.

      69 companies
    • Space Economy: Launch Services

      Companies offering services enabling the design, testing, and operation of launching space missions.

      69 companies
    • Space Economy: Launch Vehicles

      Companies developing and supplying launch vehicles and sub-systems which include rockets, sub-orbital flight, and spaceplanes.

      81 companies
    • Space Economy: Location and Connectivity

      Companies supplying products which make use of satellite navigation and communications to provide location or connectivity services in downstream markets.

      269 companies
    • Space Economy: Mapping

      Companies developing products which make use of satellite and aerial imagery to provide mapping or monitoring services.

      338 companies
    • Space Economy: Materials

      Companies providing specialised materials involved in the manufacturing of space systems to provide structural, thermal, and propulsion properties.

      246 companies
    • Space Economy: Resources

      Organisations dedicated to the development of technologies which enable the discovery and exploitation of space resources including solar power and asteroid mining.

      8 companies
    • Space Economy: SatelliteConstellations

      Companies that own and/or manage satellites or satellite constellations.

      65 companies
    • Space Economy: Software

      Companies providing and using software that facilitates the design, manufacturing, and operation of space systems including launch vehicles, satellites, and other spacecraft.

      141 companies
    • Space Economy: Space Ecosystem

      Organisations involved in space governance, research, and business ecosystems.

      177 companies
    • Space Economy: Space Infrastructure

      Organisations building the infrastructure enabling the operation and logistics of in-orbit systems including space stations and satellites.

      8 companies

Space Economy growth

Based on a growth rate of 0.3%, we expect that this sector could be worth £52.6bn by 2026. Below you can see our forecast of the growth of the sector.

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