This year began with high hopes for the UK space tech sector, only for them to come crashing back down to Earth after the failure of Virgin Orbit to become the first orbital launch from British soil.
Despite that setback, there is optimism that the UK’s nascent but rapidly growing space tech sector will reach new heights in 2024. While the UK doesn’t yet launch rockets, spaceports in Scotland and Cornwall could change that in 2024. The UK also ranks third globally for space tech funding in a sign of the sector’s high potential.
Scottish rocket company Skyrora is one of several up-and-coming British firms with plans to launch in 2024. In the second half of 2024, NASA’s Artemis mission will see astronauts orbit the Moon for the first time in nearly 50 years, which is likely to renew global interest in the final frontier....