Hansard

I, too, welcome the opportunity to participate in the debate this afternoon, and I am very happy to support the motion. I thank the University of Edinburgh for its briefing and I extend my thanks to Angela Mathis, chief executive officer of ThinkTank Maths, for the time that she has spent engaging with me and for her commitment to Scotland’s place in the space sector. I also commend Space Scotland and the many other organisations and talented individuals working in Scotland’s space sector.

As I prepared for today, I reflected on a presentation that I attended at which Professor Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who is a well-known space scientist in the UK, described how her career in space was inspired by “The Clangers”. “The Clangers” was a children’s television show in the 1970s, which I remember, although many members here today will not, about a family of creatures living in peace and harmony on a planet. I will return to the importance of encouraging talent into our space sector later.

It is remarkable to think that this is the first space debate that has been held in the Scottish Parliament since the session began, and I am sure that that is courtesy of our colleague Ivan McKee, who has been quietly laying the foundations for us to reach this point. However, space is fundamental to our modern-day existence and to the future of our planet. As Professor Brian Cox said,

“The best way to protect the Earth is to look down from space.”

As the motion outlines, the Scottish space sector is an exciting area of growth, accounting for about 18 per cent of all jobs in the UK space sector, which is significant, given that Scotland is home to around 10 per cent of the UK population. We are punching above our weight. We have well over 100 companies, from start-ups to SMEs and larger companies, which are involved not only in manufacturing but in space applications that benefit other sectors and areas of the economy. Of course, that work is underpinned by the Scottish space strategy, which sets out our collective ambition for Scotland to become a world-leading European space nation. The strategy aligns to the UK space strategy, but it also outlines areas where Scotland has an advantage. For example, for the development of spaceports and vertical launch projects, which we have already heard about, our geography and location place at us some advantage.

An important aspect of our growing space sector, as we have already heard, is sustainability and the space sustainability road map. It sets out three areas: making manufacturing and launch as sustainable as possible; tackling space debris; and using space data to benefit planet earth.

The north-east currently hosts around 11 companies that support the sector. One company in my constituency provides high-accuracy global navigation satellite system services. I note that the just transition of Scotland’s energy sector review highlights potential employment opportunities for certain oil and gas roles, which is welcome. However, the relationship between the energy and space sectors is not new. Today, space has a key role in monitoring gas emissions and its climate impact, with around half of all essential climate variables that help us to understand and predict the evolution of climate being measured by satellite.

Although the space sector continues to underpin the collection of data about planet earth, space itself remains a domain in which we do not yet know everything. We do not understand all the dynamics, and we do not fully know how things move; therefore, we have to move with cautious steps while holding on to our dream.

We look into space and see something clean and untouched. However, the orbital paths around our planet already contain a lot of debris and junk, and when satellites come to the end of their lives, they can break up into small pieces and collide with other satellites. As such, in growing our space sector, we also have a duty to keep space clean, safe and accessible to future generations. Therefore, I ask the Scottish Government to outline what it intends to do to ensure that Scotland plays its part in keeping space clean.

As we have heard, underpinning our space sector is talent. I note that the Labour amendment sets out the need to ensure that employers

“have access to the skills and expertise”

required to ensure the longevity of the space sector in Scotland, with a focus on the delivery of STEM subjects in school. I am particularly in interested in that area, and I agree that it is critical that STEM learning, and mathematics in particular, is supported at the earliest point in our tertiary education system.

I commend the work of Scottish Development International and others to grow our space talent. I welcome workers from Europe and beyond to create a workforce that is rich in skills, experience and, importantly, languages. However, my research for the debate revealed concern among some working in the sector that the UK is not seen as a welcoming place and that it can be challenging to recruit into Scotland. We run the risk of companies being unable to secure contracts and, ultimately, moving to Europe. Therefore, I ask the minister to do all that he can to ensure that those who contemplate coming to Scotland to work in our space sector know that Scotland is a welcoming place to live and work.

I welcome today’s debate highlighting this growing and exciting sector, and I look forward to playing my part in helping it reach its full potential.