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| Photo Alan Saunders Licence CC BY 2,0 Source Wikimedia Commons |
The above photograph shows the space suit worn by Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut I mention her because this is an article about opportunities for Yorkshire business in space. Sharman is a Yorkshire woman, born and educated in Sheffield, who seized her opportunity to go into space with both hands.
On Wednesday, 11 May 2022 the Leeds City Region Supply Chaim Programme and Space Hub Yorkshire will hold what they describe as "an event" at the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre in Huddersfield on Opportunities for Manufacturers in the Space Sector - How To Guide, According to the Eventbrite card,
"[the] event will comprise of a number of engaging talks giving an academic, business and legal focus on how you can grasp these opportunities, as well as a case study of a business that is already working successfully in the space sector. There will also be several exhibitors from partner organisations who will be on hand should you wish to have a chat with them."
The event (which is free) will start at 09:15 and end at 13:00.
The reason I mention that event is that the space industry is one of the few sectors of the British economy that are likely to grow over the next few years notwithstanding Brexit, covid, inflation and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That is because world demand for space related products and services is growing. As I said in Commercial Exploitation of Space: Space Industry Act 2018 (10 April 2018 NIPC Law):
"The value of the global space market is between £155 and £190 billion and likely to rise to £400 billion by 2030 according to the Space Sector Report 1 which was prepared for the House of Commons Committee on Exiting the European Union. The Industrial Strategy white paper states that the United Kingdom has about 6.5% of that market and that the government hopes to increase that share to 10% by 2030."
According to the HM Government's National Space Strategy which was published last September, these figures remain on track.
One of the reasons why the government expects the British share of the space market to grow rapidly is that the United Kingdom is developing a satellite launch capability as I noted in Space Industry - Licensing Spaceports on 11 April 2018 in NIPC Law. So far, the government has licensed space ports in Scotland, Cornwall and North Wales. The nearest to this region is Spaceport Snowdonia at Llanbedr near Harlech which I discussed in It is about Rocket Science on 21 April 2022 and The Space Industry in Wales on 27 Dec 2021 in NIPC Wales.
The expansion of the UK space industry will give rise to many issues over contracts, funding, liability for damage to property on earth and in space from debris and my own speciality intellectual property. I discussed some of those issues in The Role of Intellectual Property in Space Commerce on 19 July 2019 in NIPC Cornwall. I have been following those issues since the early 1980s.
Anyone wishing to discuss this article or the legal issues relating to space in general is welcome to call me on 020 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact form.
