The importance of the rapidly evolving space industry to the North East is set to be the focus of an upcoming conference in coming weeks.

The North East Space Conference will welcome a delegation of US industry experts when it takes place in Durham later this month. Now in its 11th year, and having grown in scale since its inception, the event is led by regional industry cluster Space North East England and featuring input from all of the North East's five universities, along with other businesses and organisations.

More than 300 delegates, speakers and exhibitors are expected at the Radisson Blu Hotel on June 25, where academics, scientists, businesses and local government will share insights and visions. It comes as the North East has an ambition to reach 10,000 people employed in the space sector within the next five years.

John Bone, chair of North East Space Leadership Group, who has been involved since the very first Conference in 2014, said: “It’s always one of the most important dates in our calendar and this year it’s coming at a very exciting time for the region’s space sector, which is continuing to thrive. It’s a day where scientists, experts, business leaders and local Government all come together to exchange ideas, information and knowledge and share news on developments and visions for the future.

"Relationships and partnerships are cemented, people involved in the space sector get work done, and progress is made."

The North East Space Conference will hear from Matthew Archer of the UK Space Agency.
John Bone, chair of North East Space Leadership Group.

This year’s keynote speaker Matthew Archer, director of launch at the UK Space Agency, who will discuss the UK’s strategy for launching into space from UK soil and the commercial opportunities emerging from it. Mr Archer will talk about how the UK is positioning itself as a global leader in small satellite launch, with a focus on building orbital launch capability from UK soil and developing a supply chain — from design and manufacturing to launch operations and logistics.

His speech will focus on the North East but also Leicester, Nottingham and Scotland as among the UK's other developing space clusters. Mr Archer is expected to highlight the North East's capabilities in engineering, manufacturing and chemical processing, supported by industry clusters like Space North East England and North East Advanced Material Electronics.

Mr Bone added: "I think it’s genuinely exciting. In the very near future, we are going to see successful launches from UK soil, and I think that will be inspirational for young people in our country, who might take fresh interest in science and engineering careers."

Other keynote speeches will be given by Nicoletta Wagner of the European Space Agency and Matt Chesnut of Space Florida, among the panel discussions and networking sessions. The main sponsors of the event are Business Durham, Lockheed Martin and NETPark.