High-flying expert committee to boost Scottish space industry
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SPACE efforts in Moray will receive support from a new expert committee.
The Scotland International Space Advisory Committee (SISAC) has been set up to give space industry firms expert advice and guidance.
Made up of Scottish experts at home and abroad, the committee will also help the Scottish Government shape policy.
The experts are based across the USA, Australia and Scotland and are members of the Scottish Government’s GlobalScot programme.
GlobalScot brings together Scots in business around the world to meet a range of targets.
Moray has an important role in the growth of Scotland's space industry.
Forres-based Orbex owns the new Space Hub Sutherland facility, which the Scottish Government says is months away from seeing launches.
As well as Space Hub Sutherland, the SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland is set to offer multi-pad, multi-user, launch facilities with multiple launch partners, including Scottish-based Skyrora which has developed its own eco-friendly fuel, Ecosene, made of waste plastics.
Scotland is vying to become Europe’s leading space nation by 2030 with a £4 billion share of the global space market and 20,000 jobs in the sector over the next seven years.
As well as its launch capabilities, Scotland is also world leading in small satellite manufacturing, with Glasgow building more satellites than any other place in Europe.
Expertise in data gathering and analysis makes Scotland the data driven capital of Europe, hosting the largest centre for informatics and having more than 170 data sciences companies.
Business Minister Ivan McKee said: “Space brings great opportunity for Scotland in terms of the economic development it delivers, its relevance for the climate change agenda and the power it has to inspire the next generation.
"That is why the Scottish Government has identified it as a priority in our National Strategy for Economic Transformation.
“The space sector is a key opportunity for the future, and we will continue to build on our strengths.
"The expertise and insight offered by the members of SISAC will be hugely beneficial to our progress.
“I am grateful to the members of this new committee for volunteering to come together to help Scotland live up to its full potential in growing the space sector.”
Chair of SISAC Joanna Peters said: “It is the intent of the SISAC to help fuel and ignite a national passion toward a space-based economy by capitalising on its strong heritage of exploration, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
“Working with the GlobalScot organisation and our network of national and international leaders, we aim to develop strategic recommendations, building upon precise and transparent advocacy, influence, consultation, and development.”
The members of SISAC are:
Joanna Peters (Chair) CEO of StratConGlobal, in Colorado, New York.
Professor David Alexander OBE, Director of the Rice Space Institute, Rice University, Houston, Texas.
Fraser Dalgleish, now retired Senior Scientist, L3Harris COL (ret’d), from Melbourne, Florida.
Waseem Naqvi, Director of Satellites, Sensors UAM, Raytheon Intelligence & Space CTO Unmanned Systems, Boston, Massachusetts.
Yvette Hopkins, CEO of LeadHershipXchange, formerly worked at Saxavord Spaceport, based in Shetland.
Angela Mattis, CEO of ThinkTankMaths in Edinburgh.
