The indisputable fact that it’s being hosted in Glasgow is testimony to the central function Scotland now performs within the UK’s business house initiatives.
Will Whitehorn, the founder of Virgin Galactic, who’s himself a Scot, is the chief chairman of this 12 months’s occasion. As a passionate advocate for the house business, Whitehorn has little endurance with individuals who argue that we’ve method too many issues proper now on Earth to fret about house.
“What people who say things like that fail to realise is that our space initiatives are absolutely crucial to the continued existence of humans on this planet,” he argues. “We definitely couldn’t feed the practically seven billion folks alive in the present day with out the data that’s being beamed down continuously from the present era of satellites. Their function in international meals manufacturing is now important.
“Without GPS to co-ordinate the logistics of transporting food, much of what is produced around the world would rot in the ports,” he provides.
Whitehorn factors out that it’s not a fantasy to assume that photo voltaic vitality may be beamed all the way down to Earth by way of microwaves from house.
“This technology exists today and in the next five years or so, we will see a tremendous revolution in the way we generate energy. The only way we will get planet Earth to net zero will be through moving power generation off the ground and into space. This is not only doable, it is happening. The next generation of satellites are already on the drawing board,” he says.
He factors out that the sequence of Acts handed by the US Congress to open up house to business house launches and satellite tv for pc manufacturing, together with related commercialisation efforts within the UK and Europe, have reworked the business massively.
“We simply could not have reached the position that the space industry is in today without opening the field up to industry and private initiatives. Launches were costing Nasa around $2 billion every time the shuttle launched. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has cut that by a massive 90% and that cost is still falling,” he notes.
Cheap launches are basic to the event of the worldwide house business, and Scotland is on the forefront of UK and European launch ambitions.
“What we’re seeing in the present day is an absolute explosion of innovation in this sector. We have reached the purpose the place humanity is now completely reliant on the house business. For me, personally, getting energy era off the planet and out of doors the environment, in order that we’re not producing greenhouse gasses in our starvation for vitality, will be one of the most important wins the house sector will produce.
“The web, streaming films, social media and the AI revolution, to not point out the crypto-currency mining mania, is resulting in the huge proliferation of energy-hungry knowledge centres worldwide.
“Already one-third of the power that Ireland produces, for example, is consumed by data centres. This demand can only grow as the AI revolution takes hold. Getting cheap power from space with zero CO2 implications is an absolute necessity, and this is just one of the things that the space industry will do for Planet Earth.”
Whitehorn factors out that the Scottish house business is flourishing and is one of the fastest-growing house sectors in Europe. “Glasgow is a world chief in satellite tv for pc building. Scotland is house to the world’s latest spaceport within the Shetland Isles,” he says.
“It will be a strategic launchpad for polar orbits. We already have multiple launch vehicle operators stepping up with groundbreaking technologies,” he provides. “I have even had major law firms contacting me, wanting to get involved in this burgeoning industry.”
At the identical time, Scotland is known for world-class, downstream knowledge capabilities and know-how for deep house missions. It is house to over 150 house firms and the sector is underpinned by authorities, business, clusters and universities.
Space-Comm Expo Scotland is supported by the Scottish Government, UK Space Agency, UKspace, Scottish Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and Space Scotland with plans to draw worldwide delegations and guests from throughout Europe and the worldwide house neighborhood, alongside primes, SMEs and start-ups.
Until this 12 months, the Space-Comm Expo occasion was held in Farnborough. It is now increasing to a sequence of occasions in Glasgow, London and Dubai.
This showcases the significance of Scotland within the UK’s business house initiatives. Scottish-based companies will be to the fore alongside worldwide exhibitors, product demonstrations, keynote audio system, a number of convention theatres and roundtables, together with one-to-one networking alternatives.
Space-Comm Expo is FREE to attend. To register or for exhibitor enquiries, go to: space-comm-scotland.co.uk