Scotland’s space sector set to become greenest on Earth

The new roadmap sets out the steps needed to achieve the long-term goals of Scottish space missions, which are to be space debris neutral, zero emissions created from on-the-ground activities, and for Scotland to gain global recognition as a leader in sustainable space.

National and international expert interviews, in-depth study into other sustainability initiatives and consultation with the space industry informed the roadmap contents, which addresses areas such as the environmental impacts of building, fuelling, and launching satellites, as well as the importance of promoting satellite data for environmental monitoring.

Business Minister Ivan McKee said: “Scotland’s space industry has enormous growth potential and is rightly recognised as a key new market opportunity within the Scottish Government’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation. Last year, the Scottish Government and partners set out our collective ambition for Scotland to become Europe’s leading space nation, taking a £4 billion share of the global space market and creating 20,000 jobs by 2030.

“The Scottish Government recognises the key role of space in the global fight against climate change. The Scottish space sector shares this collective responsibility and is already innovating through the use of greener fuels, lightweight materials, smart design and reusability. The Scottish Space Sustainability Roadmap is the next step in helping the sector reach net zero by 2045 and in setting an example for other nations.

“These are exactly the kind of actions necessary to help boost productivity, create sustainable jobs and position Scotland in the vanguard of responsible users of space across every part of the industry.”