Lockheed Martin helping to boost the UK’s space sector
Speaking in the Space Zone at Farnborough International Airshow, Nik Smith, regional director UK and Europe at Lockheed Martin Space, explained the role the company is playing in the future of “launching the UK’s space sector”.
Building on the UK’s “tremendous heritage” in space, Smith highlighted the importance of recruiting and retaining talented personnel to help a nation achieve its ambitions in the sector’s future. “We are so dependent on space,” he explained, adding that “we need to make sure… we can control our own access into space and have control over that,” with a “real fundamental security element to having a launch capability”.
As a heritage space company with end-to-end capability, Lockheed Martin Space do everything from deep space exploration to climate intelligence, augmented by its expertise in military capability and national security needs. As such, any country looking to be a spacefaring nation needs to fulfil all elements of the value chain – from launch to satellite development to the ability to use space services ‘downstream’, including transferring and analysing data sent back to earth.
Therefore, it’s vital for Lockheed Martin Space to “intervene at early levels of education” to attract and educate the future workforce – with Smith highlighting a “huge focus” on STEM and ‘space camp’ activities on offer. However, equally important are the transferrable skills from individuals working in other sectors. “We need so much talent as this sector grows and the UK has so much talent to tap into,” he added.
“It’s “not just about astrophysics or deep engineering – actually, there are a number of roles for people… in a lot of different areas,” concluded Smith. “There is space for everyone in space!”
