TO BE PUBLISHED February 2027
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Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This conference will examine next steps for the UK space sector following publication of the new UK Space Strategy in September 2026 and its focus on economic growth, defence and national security. Areas for discussion include implications of its concentrated approach to investment and capability, government procurement and access to major programmes, commercialisation and scale-up, regulation and resilience, and the UK’s position in international space markets and partnerships.
Priority subsectors, investment & commercialisation
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to discuss the Strategy’s implications for the sector as it is taken forward, including the impact of focusing additional effort on satellite communications, Space Domain Awareness, in-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing, and assured access to space. Delegates will consider the likely impact of more selective public investment and fewer, larger awards on capability and commercial growth, what the approach means for SMEs, scale-ups and capabilities outside the four priority subsectors, and practical requirements for translating research and technological strengths into contracts, investment and sustainable businesses.
Government as customer, scale-up & resilient capability
The agenda will assess changes in the relationship between government and the sector, including the move of the UK Space Agency into central government, coordinated civil and defence procurement, the role of government as an anchor customer, access to supply chains and the conditions needed to attract late-stage capital and retain companies, skills and intellectual property in the UK. Attendees will examine the development of resilient national capability, including satellite communications, PNT and Space Domain Awareness, and the appropriate mix of sovereign, allied and commercial provision.
Regulation, safe operations, launch & international markets
Sessions will consider the new variable liability limits applying to orbital operations licence applications received from December 2026, further licensing reform, insurance and regulatory capacity, and approaches to safety and sustainable operation as activity in orbit increases. Further discussion is expected on UK launch, ISAM, Earth Observation and downstream applications, international cooperation and competition, and how UK businesses and users of space-enabled services can participate in emerging markets.
Overview of areas for discussion
- strategic priorities:
- implications of concentrating investment and activity in four areas identified for accelerated development - funding allocation
- support for areas outside the accelerated priorities - Earth Observation, PNT, science and wider sector capabilities - measures of progress
- procurement & government demand:
- government as anchor customer - coordinated civil and defence purchasing and the Enterprise Space Category - contract design - visibility of procurement pipelines
- access for SMEs and scale-ups - qualification and procurement barriers - routes into prime and government supply chains - translating public demand into exportable capability
- investment, scale-up & commercialisation:
- progression from R&D - later-stage capital and first customers - evidence required for follow-on public support
- retaining companies, IP and manufacturing in the UK - inward investment and scale-up incentives
- regulation, licensing & insurance:
- variable liability limits - £50m default and sustainability criteria for reductions - alternative insurance models - implications for operators, investors and insurers
- multi-mission and streamlined licensing - regulatory capacity and processing times - proportionality for novel missions
- resilience, security & critical capability:
- SatCom, PNT and Space Domain Awareness - integrated national satellite communications and resilient PNT capability - protection of critical infrastructure - cyber and physical security
- sovereign capability, allied cooperation and commercial provision - reducing strategic dependencies - civil-defence coordination
- safe & sustainable space operations:
- debris mitigation, collision risk and orbital congestion - space situational awareness and end-of-life practices - insurance and incentives
- regulation of ISAM, re-entry and emerging mission types - standards and international interoperability
- access to space:
- launch capability and commercial cadence - SaxaVord and wider supply chains - licensing, spectrum and airspace - time and cost to launch
- demand aggregation and anchor missions - interaction with trusted international launch partners and ESA transportation programmes
- ISAM, Earth Observation & downstream markets:
- ISAM flight heritage and routes to commercial missions - liability waivers for qualifying missions - servicing, repair, refuelling, debris removal and in-orbit manufacturing
- AI-enabled and autonomous space technologies, including priorities identified in the October 2026 AI Roadmap for Space
- Earth Observation procurement and data access - converting space data into scalable downstream products
- skills, clusters & regional growth:
- specialist workforce requirements - development of clusters - access to investment and national programmes across the UK
- international partnerships & competitiveness:
- regulatory and technical standards - market access - attracting international investment while strengthening UK competitive advantage
- ESA, European programmes and Copernicus - wider strategic partnerships - implications of the proposed EU Space Act and European preference in procurement
