Scotland mirrors Artemis in world effort to shape future of space
Scotland’s growing power as a space nation is being felt across the globe, writes Natasha Nicholson, CEO of Space Scotland
As the world prepares for humanity’s return to the Moon through the Artemis programme, space exploration is entering a new era defined less by competition and more by collaboration.
Artemis shows how governments, agencies, researchers and companies can work together across borders to build shared infrastructure in orbit and beyond. That same spirit of partnership is shaping the growth of Scotland’s space sector and helping position the country as a globally connected space nation.
This is set to be a landmark year for Scotland. The sector is preparing for the first launch from SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst, the northernmost point in the United Kingdom. With Scotland poised to host vertical launches, the country is on track to become a key hub for European spaceflight.
SaxaVord is currently the only fully licensed vertical launch spaceport in the United Kingdom, with permission to handle up to 30 launches carrying small satellite payloads each year. This capability strengthens Scotland’s position as one of the few places in Europe able to support complete mission delivery, from design and manufacture through to launch and the downstream application of satellite data.
Scotland’s space industry has grown rapidly over the past decade, but what makes it distinctive is not just the pace of growth. It is the way that growth is happening. Scotland is the smallest geographical area in the world to host a complete space value chain. Within a compact footprint, the sector spans satellite design, manufacturing, launch vehicle development, spaceports, data analytics and downstream applications. Capability alone is not enough. The real strength lies in connectivity.
Scotland’s space sector is collegiate by design. Companies collaborate rather than operate in isolation. Universities and industry work side by side. Governments support coordination rather than fragmentation. Having all the capabilities in one place is valuable, but connecting them is what truly matters. This approach mirrors Artemis itself, a distributed network of expertise working together to deliver something greater than the sum of its parts.
That collaborative model is increasingly international. Recently, Scotland’s global engagement was on display when senior diplomats from 19 countries gathered in Edinburgh for the first “Space Connects the World: Consular Corps Scottish Space Forum.” The event, led by Space Scotland’s International Engagement Working Group and partners, brought representatives from across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific into discussions with Scottish companies focused on trade, investment and market access. The aim was to turn international interest into tangible partnerships while reinforcing Scotland’s role as a globally connected space hub.
This engagement reflects Scotland’s accelerating position in the international space economy. Scottish satellite manufacturer AAC ClydeSpace has had payloads on every SpaceX Transporter mission to date, and a fifth of the most recent mission included Scottish built payloads. As Artemis shows, no single nation can deliver the future of space alone. Scotland’s growth is being powered by partnerships internationally and at home that bring together complementary capabilities and shared ambition.
International collaboration is a priority in the industry-led ‘A Strategy for Space in Scotland’ and is embedded in the country’s research and innovation ecosystem. Space Scotland is strengthening national capabilities in Earth observation and in orbit servicing and manufacturing by fostering partnerships between academia, industry and government, while also supporting companies from outside the sector to pivot their technologies into the growing space market.
Through initiatives involving the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Higgs Centre for Innovation, and leading institutions within the Scottish Space Academic Forum including the University of Glasgow, University of Strathclyde and University of Edinburgh, companies are working across disciplines spanning advanced manufacturing, robotics, life sciences and space engineering. These collaborations are helping build a distributed in orbit servicing and manufacturing capability that reflects the cooperative model underpinning future space missions.
Alongside research collaboration, Scotland is also building partnerships through trade and international engagement, supported by Scottish Development International’s global space specialists and the Scottish Government’s Trade and Investment Envoy for Space. This Team Scotland approach is delivering results. Interest from companies seeking expansion into Scotland, alongside export and partnership opportunities overseas, continues to grow.
In the coming months, Space Scotland will welcome delegations from Belgium’s Wallonia region, the South Australian Government and AviaSpace Bremen, one of Europe’s leading aerospace clusters. Subsequent visits from the United States, Flanders and additional German space clusters, including tours of SaxaVord’s Shetland launch site, will help international partners understand the depth of Scotland’s ecosystem and identify opportunities to collaborate across launch, manufacturing and data services.
This momentum is also being supported through coordinated national activity. In the past six months, Space Scotland has delivered more than 17 projects across the ecosystem, from economic impact work and supply chain development to skills initiatives supporting remote and underrepresented communities. Cross sector events are bringing together companies from advanced manufacturing, robotics, life sciences and digital industries, reflecting the role space plays in underpinning the wider economy.
To highlight this progress, Space Scotland is launching a new national campaign, ‘A Space Nation’, designed to showcase the scale and capability of Scotland’s space ecosystem and encourage wider participation across industry, academia and the public sector. The campaign will demonstrate opportunities for businesses to engage in space activity, from satellite assembly and rocket development to data driven services supporting agriculture, energy and environmental monitoring, while also inspiring the next generation to consider careers in the sector.
The campaign coincides with the launch of a new Space Scotland website designed to better connect organisations across the value chain and make it easier for businesses, technical and non technical alike, to enter the space supply chain. It reflects a broader ambition to position Scotland not just as a space sector, but as a space nation.
Space Scotland is also preparing to publish a new delivery plan for the next phase of growth. The focus will remain on strengthening international partnerships, supporting emerging technologies, embedding sustainable practices, expanding skills pathways and ensuring the ecosystem remains globally competitive. Collaboration, both domestic and international, will continue to be the guiding principle.
The parallels with Artemis are clear. The next era of space exploration will rely on distributed capability, shared infrastructure and global cooperation. Success will depend on ecosystems able to integrate multiple disciplines and partners quickly and effectively. Scotland’s geography, connected value chain and collaborative culture make it well suited to this model.
From SaxaVord in Shetland to innovation zones across the country, Scotland’s space sector is demonstrating what collaboration looks like in practice. Companies are working together across the supply chain. Universities are translating research into commercial capability. International partners are engaging through trade missions and joint initiatives. National campaigns like A Space Nation are broadening participation across society.
Scotland may be small geographically, but its ambitions and partnerships are global. As Artemis brings the world together to return to the Moon, Scotland is showing how collaboration on Earth can drive growth, innovation and opportunity while helping shape the future of space.
Dr Natasha Nicholson, CEO, Space Scotland
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