Space needs STEM stars: how education can fuel the UK's space economy
4 min read
This week is World Space Week and it may well be the last one with the UK as a purely Earth based nation.
Our home grown space sector is looking ahead to an exciting new year with the potential for UK satellites launching from UK soil on UK rockets.
The Civil Aviation Authority is playing a central role supporting that sector as it expands. We have already cemented the UK as a leading satellite manufacturer. Hundreds of British commercial satellites are currently in orbit, over 750 of them monitored by the Civil Aviation Authority as they pass silently above us. This technology is empowering our smart phones, guiding our car journeys, and even helping water our crops. The UK satellite sector has put into the sky the second biggest satellite constellation – OneWeb, second only to Elon Musk’s Starlink, and the Civil Aviation Authority has assessed and licenced satellite after satellite to get us there.
We’re already paving the way for the future to get the UK ready for launch. We’re working to build a safe, sustainable space sector that puts our country on track to capture the European market for commercial small satellite launches, the first priority in the Government’s National Space Strategy. Not only are we supporting UK rocket companies with ambitions to launch from home turf, we are already drawing in applications from across Europe.
As we enter 2024, the UK's position as a space power is not merely a matter of national pride; it has far-reaching implications for our economy, our technological prowess, and our position on the global stage. Our space regulations allow innovators to shine, encouraging great minds to flourish.
And we need to reach those minds early. Inspiring the next generation of stargazers to fill the jobs of the future space workforce.
In this realm, every week is space week for the Civil Aviation Authority. We have STEM ambassadors from across our space regulation team talking to young people, from primary school to post-grads about careers in space. We’re building on a strong base, we’ve long been sending our experts out to talk about the engineering and science that goes into making planes fly. Now we get to head to airfields around the country with model rockets under our arms getting young people craning their necks to the stars.
The long-term success of our space industry lies in our ability to nurture a highly skilled workforce. Teaching science, technology, engineering, and maths is not just about teaching students formulas and equations; it's about instilling a spirit of innovation and problem-solving. It's about inspiring the next generation of explorers, entrepreneurs, and experts.
This is why the Civil Aviation Authority hold STEM as such a priority. It’s a long-term recruitment plan as our space regulation team expands over the decades ahead to support an enlarging, and increasingly vital space sector. Inspiration also has a habit of spilling over, and for every future space regulator we reach there might be tomorrow’s Tim Peake or Helen Sharman sitting next to them.
This is not science fiction - our nation's entrepreneurs of the future are sitting in the classrooms of today. It's our responsibility to ensure that they are equipped with the skills, expertise and drive needed to excel in the space industry. A culture the feeds new ideas and innovation, in children and in adults, benefits our wider society. Throughout our history we can point to UK innovators that leapt us forward. The problem-solving abilities, creativity, and critical thinking skills developed through STEM education are transferable and invaluable.
One of the attractions of the space industry to people is that it is at the forefront of ideas and innovation. The National Space Strategy recognises the value that world-class space clusters bring to the economy, that science and exploration brings to our position in the world, and space is key to combatting the massive challenges facing us like climate change. Space inspires people to reach for the stars.
2024 will be the year the UK space sector leaps into space. We need a future generation that has the skills and drive to stand on the shoulders of today’s giants and the Civil Aviation Authority is already in the classrooms and on the launch pads making that happen.
Colin Macleod is Head of Space Regulation at the UK CAA
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