The Digital Economy team at Glasgow City Council has published a new spotlight report on Glasgow’s Space Tech Cluster – the second instalment in its Why Glasgow? series – setting out the city region’s growing strengths across satellite manufacturing, mission operations, data services and launch.
The report frames Glasgow as an end-to-end node and big player in the UK and global space economy, describing the city’s capabilities across the upstream, midstream and downstream segments of the space value chain.
On upstream manufacturing, the spotlight highlights Glasgow’s leadership in small satellite production. The city is described as producing “more satellites than any other city on the continent”, with anchor firms and specialist manufacturers focused on CubeSats and PocketQubes – compact, modular platforms that have lowered the cost of access to space.
Midstream activity – ground systems, mission control and satellite operations – is shown as a growing but less visible layer of the cluster, supported by academic institutions and private firms that ensure satellites are managed throughout their lifecycles.
Downstream is presented as a data-driven economy: Earth observation and communications constellations are feeding startups that turn imagery and telemetry into actionable insight for sectors such as urban planning, insurance and climate monitoring.
Launch and sovereign capability
The report sets out developments in launch capability, noting Skyrora’s progression to become the first UK-based manufacturer to receive a licence for a commercial vehicle from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, enabling the company to offer suborbital Skylark L launches from UK sites.
With a Glasgow headquarters and manufacturing in Cumbernauld, the licence is framed in the report as a key step toward UK sovereign launch services.
Smaller, smarter, cheaper: the smallsat revolution
A central theme in the report is how satellite technology has shrunk in size and cost while growing in capability.
CubeSats – built from 10 cm cubic units – and PocketQubes – at 5×5×5 cm per unit – are singled out as enablers of rapid, lower-cost missions. Beyond this, advances in propulsion, digitised payloads and additive manufacturing have driven down launch and production costs, opening space access to startups, universities and local organisations.
The report profiles AAC Clyde Space’s Glasgow facility and missions such as PICASSO, a 3U CubeSat built for the European Space Agency to monitor ozone and ionospheric conditions.
Alba Orbital is described as leading PocketQube manufacture from a dedicated Glasgow factory and offering the AlbaPod deployer and an end-to-end launch route with mission costs starting around €25k. The report also references Spire Global’s presence at Skypark and its deployment of over 110 Lemur satellites for weather, maritime and aviation data.
Talent pipeline and research capacity
Universities and colleges are presented as a core underpinning of the cluster, supplying skilled graduates and research facilities:
- The University of Glasgow’s Space & Exploration Technology Cluster and the Integrated Space and Exploration Technologies Laboratory (I-SET) are listed for their vacuum chambers, cleanrooms, 3D printing and an ESA-funded space environment chamber for lunar and Martian research.
- The University of Strathclyde is noted for the Strathclyde Space Institute, its Space Enterprise Lab partnership with the Satellite Applications Catapult and outreach via the Scottish Space School.
- Glasgow Caledonian University’s RISE group is cited for research on the environmental sustainability of the space industry.
- City of Glasgow College is described as providing vocational training in precision manufacturing and systems integration, drawing on the city’s manufacturing heritage.
The report highlights demand for a broad range of skills – from aerospace, systems and software engineering to photonics, quantum-space competencies, commercial operations, policy and research – in order to sustain future growth.
Cluster scale, investment and programmes
The West of Scotland Space Cluster is presented as nearly 50 organisations strong, supported by regional assets such as the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland and a deep regional supply chain. Backing this up, the report states that:
- £208M: combined enterprise value of Glasgow’s VC-funded space tech startups.
- £80M: VC funding into Glasgow space tech companies.
- £28M: funding across 38 grants from domestic and European initiatives.
- £100M: UK Government investment in Glasgow’s regional space sector (part of the wider £160 million Investment Zone programme).
Beyond this, the report also makes mention of the University of Strathclyde confirmation as a lead delivery partner in the Glasgow City Region’s £160 million Investment Zone programme and will deliver Project PRISM – “A Platform for Scaling Responsive Space Systems Research, Innovation & Manufacturing.”
The report also states that domestic investors lead VC funding into the city’s space tech firms, and that support since 2019 has been predominantly domestic (67.5%) with EU programmes contributing over 32%.
From connectivity to sustainability
The spotlight aligns Glasgow’s activity with national priorities, giving shout-outs to the UK’s National Space Strategy and Scotland’s Strategy for Space and Space Sustainability Roadmap. The report highlights two linked themes:
- Net-zero satellites: both as lower-carbon launch technologies, exemplified by companies such as Skyrora, and as the use of satellite data to support terrestrial net-zero targets through climate monitoring and emissions accounting.
- Rural and remote connectivity: pilots including OneWeb trials in Shetland are cited as demonstrations of LEO satellite broadband connecting remote communities across Scotland’s islands and rural areas.
The report also includes perspectives from academic and industry figures who underline the cluster’s global ambition and practical support networks.
“We have the recognition in Glasgow that we’re not just competing with companies next door or down the road – we’re competing with companies all over the world”, said Craig Clark MBE, Professor of Practice for Space, University of Strathclyde
Dr Hina Khan, Head of Commercial, Craft Prospect, added that “We know we can access the cluster to get support that we need to make our bid, proposal or offering much more robust.”
Finally, Andrew Strain, Chief Technical Officer, AAC Clyde Space said: “I did a map recently and there was a moment where if you looked up, something we built in Glasgow could be seen from every point on earth.”
Source: DIGIT