Northern Ireland Space Industry

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This short article, which was produced by DfE's Analytical Services Division, provides insights into the Northern Ireland Space Industry and highlights some career pathways in the sector.

Northern Ireland Space Industry

This article contains topics such as:

An overview of our fast-growing Space Industry
The NI Space Industry’s support of high value-added jobs – linking it to the Department for the Economy’s Ministerial priority of ‘good jobs’.
Career opportunities in the NI Space Industry

Introduction

There has been a global buzz around the space industry recently, with emphasis on its importance for security, the environment, and economic growth.

A recent report commissioned by Matrix¹, Northern Ireland’s Science Industry Panel, highlights Northern Ireland’s opportunity to become a key component within the fast-growing space economy, driving up growth in advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity and satellite communications in the process.

NI has a growing space ecosystem with upstream, downstream and enabler components*. This article aims to provide an overview of the NI Space Industry, how it is projected to grow, and the career opportunities this presents to NI’s labour force.

Overview of the current NI Space Industry

NI has a range of strengths that complement the NI Space Industry well, such as a strong advanced manufacturing sector, a breadth of academia supporting the growth of the NI Space Industry, and the region’s collaborative ecosystem (industry, academia, and government).

Additionally, NI’s success in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) places it in a strong position as the NI Space Industry grows. More specifically, NI received the highest FDI per capita¹ in the UK in 2021.

From a broader UK perspective, there has been a commitment to prioritising the UK’s space sector and reaping the economic benefits. Hence, we have seen fast-paced growth within the sector, with the UK Space Agency (UKSA) reporting that the sector’s Gross Value Added (economic output) grew by 3.5%² from 2018/19 to 2021/22, outpacing the growth of the whole UK economy (1.3%).

NI has a growing influence on the broader UK Space Industry, producing clear benefits of its own. UKSA reported that NI, through its 62 space-related organisations², generated £104 million in income and supported 545 high-value added jobs – linking it to the Department for the Economy’s Ministerial priority of ‘good jobs’.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) provides further detail³, noting that 160 space and aerospace organisations provide jobs to almost 5,000 people. NI is fast emerging as a key area for Space Industry development, underscored by its success in achieving funding, i.e. NI was the most successful region in the UK in the Space Cluster Development programme, with over £1 million secured funding from the UK Space Agency Initiative.

How the NI Space Industry is projected to grow

The Space Industry in general is growing rapidly on a global scale, with the UKSA projecting the global industry to be worth £400 billion⁴ by 2030. In line with this projection, the UKSA has set a target of achieving 10% of this market. NI could have a key role to play in its success if it is able to take advantage of the opportunities presented.

More specifically, NI has its own target of £2 million⁵ in this market, according to Robert Hill, Director of the Northern Ireland Space Office and Head of the Northern Ireland Space Cluster. With the development of the Northern Ireland Space Special Interest Group, along with various other important cohorts of space experts, it is clear there are many organisations in Northern Ireland driving the sector forward.

NI’s strengths in the Space Industry

NI is already a notable producer of world-class innovations related directly to the aerospace sector, contributing £1.8 billion to the total UK aerospace sector and ranking 8^th of Europe’s aerospace regions in revenue terms⁴.

NI’s strong heritage in manufacturing, combined with its strong capability for research, underpins the work with global giants such as Airbus, whilst a collaboration project between NI’s Spirit AeroSystems and global company Skyrora on the manufacture of rocket launch parts boosts NI’s status in the Space Sector.

More generally, NI has a growing advanced manufacturing industry, employing approximately 42,000 people and generating £3.2 billion for the NI economy⁶. Efforts have been made by the Smart Nano NI Consortium to make NI lead from the front in terms of nano technology innovation, a key link between aerospace and space.

Additionally, NI’s unique position with dual-market access sets it up as a competitor in the Space Industry, trading freely both within the EU and the UK. Enhancing this position could see NI benefit from increased competitiveness for space-related investments.

NI has further strengths within cyber security (NI is a top location for US cyber resilience companies) and data storage, with 25% of computer read/write heads made in Seagate in Northern Ireland⁴, enhancing NI’s potential capability to operate and develop satellite platforms. NI also has various software and Fintech companies, all of which are downstream components of the space ecosystem and can benefit from the growth of the NI Space Industry.

Career Opportunities

The expansion of the NI Space Industry has the potential to create a variety of career opportunities. Spanning roles in both the upstream and downstream sections, people can explore a variety of career pathways in a fast-growing sector, pursuing roles that are best suited to their skills and qualifications.

The potential growth in advanced manufacturing, and software and cyber resilience, creates opportunities in these priority sectors. There are also career pathways available for “enablers” of the Space Industry, working on the academic side of the ecosystem, carrying out research, or aiding in various space-related programmes run by NI Institutions.

Space Industry growth may present opportunities for astrophysicists and various other areas of STEM such as nano technology. The Space Industry also provides opportunities in the downstream section in Fintech and the environment, with emphasis on algae blooms and the impact that space advancements can have on global sustainability.

Appendix

*Upstream activities involve the development of space technology and infrastructure such as satellites and rockets and their launch into space. Downstream activities focus on the use of space data and services such as satellite communications, GPS, mapping services, and earth observation. Space sector “enablers” are individuals (such as researchers), institutions, and technologies that support the growth and development of the space industry.

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Northern Ireland Space Industry