Space services and applications are key to strategic and economic development across the world. And satellites play a vital role. The City uses them for synchronising financial transactions, farmers use them to improve their yields and reduce chemical use, surveyors use them to ensure pinpoint accuracy, and governments use data from them when making decisions and for secure communications.

Satellites provide broadcast television, mobile communications, news and global positioning signals that enable us to reach into remote areas, stay up to date and find our way when travelling.

In years to come the world will be even more dependent on satellites and on a global space industry, forecast to be worth more than $1 trillion by 2020 from $115 billion today. The UK already leads in key areas of this market and, given adequate investment, can aspire to grow its current 7.3% share significantly, yielding high investment returns and associated social, political and security benefits. Estimates point to indirect benefits for the UK economy in transport and environment alone of nearly £15 billion per annum.

Critical to achieving these returns is the UK satellite industry and its role in providing the UK with:

• freedom and flexibility of commercial exploitation

• the means to achieve operational sovereignty (consistent with the Defence    Industrial Strategy)

• means of monitoring the environment, natural resources depletion and
   climate change

• and through its lead in key technologies,international bargaining power.

The UK is world class. It is home to:

• the world's most profitable global mobile satellite communications provider
• the world's first public private partnership for secure military satellite    communications
• Europe's most successful satellite-based TV broadcaster
• the world's leading capital market for satellite and application financing
• a satellite manufacturing industry that in 2005/6 delivered the world's largest
   and most complex communications satellites in the world today
• world leaders in software and control for satellites and ground segment    operations
• world-leading scientific space research
• and the world's leading small satellite company.

This is a summary of the findings of a case4space study, an initiative of the UK Space community with the aim of quantifying the benefits and opportunities to the UK from its world leading space capabilities.

For more information on the case4space contact:
Tom Gunner, 01438 774102.

UKspace: Innovating for a Better Britain