The Queen Visits Scottish Space Centre to Examine Earth-Observing Satellites

Queen Elizabeth II visits Scottish Space Centre in Glasgow to get a first-hand look at Earth-observing satellites from Spire Global. Their satellites will play a crucial role in the development of the Scottish space industry and will potentially help find solutions to combat climate change.

Queen Elizabeth’s Visit Details

Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Spire Global facilities was a part of several Scottish engagement events. At Spire Global, the Queen was accompanied by her daughter Princess Anne. Both spoke to Joel Spark, Spire’s Vice President, who was honoured to welcome Her Majesty and Her Royal Highness to the Scottish Space Hub in Glasgow.

During her last visit, Elizabeth II took a close look at one of the Earth-observing satellites developed by Spire. According to Mr Spark, these satellites could potentially offer a solution to the climate change issue, which is critical for eliminating potential threats.

This was not the Queen’s first experience with the Scottish space sector and international space industry in general. Her Majesty has sent messages to British and Canadian astronauts in space, toured NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and spoke with the astronauts at the ISS from the control station at Houston.

Scottish Space & Earth-Observing Satellites Potential

Her Majesty’s interests in the Scottish space sector and Earth-observing satellites is well justified. By 2030, the UK government is determined to grow the UK space industry’s worth to £4 billion, and Scotland plays a crucial role in that. Glasgow already produces more satellites than any other country besides the US. Besides, Scottish space industry is vital to ensure rocket launches from UK soil, which is also the government’s ambition.

Earth-observing satellites account for a massive part of the overall Scottish space industry as they help address plenty of pressing issues besides climate change, i.e., response to natural disasters, commercial agriculture, and many others.