Scotland's first ‘space envoy’ appointed at industry event in Glasgow

The Scottish Government has appointed its first “space envoy” to champion the sector.

The announcement was made at the Space-Comm Expo in Glasgow, which is the largest space industry event to ever take place in Scotland.

It is expected to attract 3,000 delegates and 70 exhibitors on Wednesday and Thursday.

Entrepreneur Daniel Smith will take on the unpaid role, which is part of the Government’s global trade and investment network, for at least two years.

He has founded a number of space companies, including the global space communications firm AstroAgency.

Glasgow has become the biggest manufacture hub for small satellites outside of California and a number of sites hope to become the first in the UK to become vertical launch spaceports.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) also used the event to launch a satellite mapping service which it says will “revolutionise the way Scotland responds to emergencies such as floods, wildfires, landslides and oil spills”.

The service uses real-time satellite data to allow for faster and more efficient responses to emergencies.

Business minister Richard Lochhead gave the keynote speech on the first day of the Space-Comm Expo, saying the “first launch from Scotland is tantalisingly close and I can’t wait for it to happen”.

Discussing the new trade role, he said: “The creation of the space envoy role is another indication of how quickly the sector is growing and of how importantly the Scottish Government regards its contribution to the economy.

“The Scottish Government has an ambition to capture £4 billion of the global space market and Daniel Smith’s entrepreneurial background will help Scottish businesses forge strategic partnerships and identify new opportunities.

“We are well on our way to becoming a European leader in the sector. The latest available data shows that the number of space-related companies based in Scotland rose by 25% in the space of a year, with the sector’s total income increasing by 65% over the same period – demonstrating the phenomenal scale of opportunity before us.”

Mr Smith said: “I’m excited to help connect Scotland’s commercial space players with business opportunities overseas.

“With Europe-leading technology, Scotland has the technical competence, as well as a sustainable strategic vision, to play an expanding role in the global space economy.”