UK industry may pique Jeff Bezos and SpaceX’s interest, says UK Space Agency
19th May 2022According to the UK Space Agency and industry experts, Jeff Bezos from Blue Origin and Elon Musk from SpaceX may be interested in investing in the UK space sector. Today, the sector value is estimated at roughly £15 billion a year, but as the UK commissions its domestic launch capability, this figure will increase dramatically.
UK Space Agency Industry Estimates
Even now, space industry exports are around a third of the total sector, and soon enough, the UK should have more room for international players. In 2020, the industry created almost three thousand new job opportunities compared to 2019. Considering this, it is quite logical to assume that space billionaires such as Musk and Jeff Bezos would be interested in investing in the budding sector. Besides, the UK space industry is already attracting foreign investment. A US-based Venture Capital Fund Type One announced setting up a $50 million fund to operate from the London office – and this is only the beginning of the flux of foreign investment, according to the UK space agency.
SpaceX & Jeff Bezos’ Potential Interest
Recent announcements report SpaceX owner’s potential interest in the Space Energy Initiative, one of the new projects from the UK Space Agency. The idea is to set up a green power station in orbit by 2035. And while Britain is getting ready to commission its own British spaceports, the country will need a larger launch capability. Today, SpaceX is one of the top players that can provide such a capability.
Another area that calls for SpaceX involvement is the OneWeb constellation of satellites. Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, OneWeb used to deploy these satellites on Russian rockets, but that collaboration came to an end this March. As a result, OneWeb turned to SpaceX.
Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is also gaining momentum. So, the UK Space Agency may get more new partners than Musk’s SpaceX.
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