The UK Space Sector Playbook
The complete guide to how the UK space economy works, who the players are, where the money flows, and how to get in.
- UK space industry income, FY22/23
- £18.6bn
- People directly employed
- 55,550
- Space-related organisations
- 1,907
Figures from the playbook, as cited in its references
Written for people who want in.
What is in this playbook
- 01Welcome
- 02How this playbook was built
- 03The UK space sector, properly introduced
- 04The market: size, segments, opportunity
- 05The sector map: what happens where
- 06How the business of space actually works
- 07Agencies and institutions
- 08The companies: who builds, flies, sells
- 09Skills and jobs: what the sector hires for
- 10Routes in: six ways to enter
- 11The entrepreneur’s toolkit
- 12What comes next
- 13Final word
- 14References
Six ways to enter. Find yours.
There is no single door into space. The playbook gives each route its own steps and the skills to stack.
- 01
The student or recent graduate
Time, cheap risk, and an ecosystem built to receive you.
- 02
The career switcher
The sector is starving for experienced professionals, and mostly doesn’t need you to retrain.
- 03
The PhD or researcher
Deep technical credibility and access to funded translation routes.
- 04
The consultant or independent
The sector runs on specialist expertise and buys it by the day.
- 05
The entrepreneur
Dedicated incubators, patient institutional money, and named national priorities.
- 06
The established company
Existing capability and a delivery record. The sector actively wants non-space entrants.
“Buyers do not buy space, they buy answers to problems they already have budgets for.”
Ricky D’Costa, Founder of OuterSpark
