Join UK and international experts and innovators from academia, government, and industry as we chart the future of the UK space sector.

The theme is growth. Growth of awareness, investment, our workforce, our capabilities, and our economy.  

This year, UK Space Conference sessions are explicitly focused on solutions - next steps that lead to meaningful outcomes.  

We will leverage expertise and insight from the space sector and beyond to stimulate debate and collaboration on the key issues in space and society.  

Sessions and speaker announcements will appear here:  

How can the space sector supercharge the UK economy? 

Space is already embedded in everyday life, but the full economic potential is yet to be fully realised. Our opening plenary will explore how we create sustainable multi-year strategies that drive long-term growth within the space sector and across the wider economy.   

With the world entering a new era of transformation - political, economic, technological - our experts will examine how the UK can lead on innovation, investment, and standards around the five capabilities – domain awareness, ISAM, harnessing space data, PNT, and SATCOM - unlocking sustainable growth at home and global influence abroad. 

Action on skills: Innovating to deliver our future space workforce  

The UK space sector’s future depends on a skilled, diverse, and resilient workforce - but are we doing enough today to achieve it? This session looks beyond the sector for answers, drawing inspiration from industries tackling similar challenges.  

With insight from the Space Skills Alliance’s 2030 Roadmap, the discussion will explore how we address talent shortages, retention - especially among women - and the lack of socio-economic and ethnic diversity.  

Research has shown diverse teams do better on innovation and decision making – while organisations with more diverse hiring practices build deeper talent pools and boost competitiveness.  

The key question for our experts – what are the tangible steps we must take today to start building the workforce we need for tomorrow?  

Is space really for all humankind? How do we create sustainable value for all?  

As the UK continues to lead in science-led space exploration, this session will tackle a critical question: Who truly benefits from our progress beyond Earth?  

Join this session to explore the balance between public and private, humans versus robots, and to examine how we build sustainable, inclusive value from space. With a focus on global collaboration and responsible resource use, panellists will consider the UK’s role in shaping future exploration through bilateral programmes, small science missions, and international partnerships.  

How do we ensure exploration serves science, society, and sustainability? 

How do we bring value to the nation?   

What has space ever done for us? The truth is, space is already delivering for the UK, but are we selling that story loud enough - are we telling it clearly enough?
This session will showcase the tangible, real-world value of space to UK regions, industries, and people - from UK-based spaceports and microgravity research to health innovation and environmental science.
Our speakers will explore how partnerships, clusters, and public engagement can drive the type of growth that fuels every part of a nation.
Join us as we celebrate our sector’s achievements, assess the risks, and pose the key question: What more can you do for the nation?

Space is now a critical domain for national and global security. This session will open with a live link as US Space Command addresses the Global Air & Space Chiefs’ Conference in London - offering a window into how international defence leaders are thinking and talking about space.  

Back in Manchester, a panel of UK experts will bring the conversation home - exploring how we protect assets, ensure resilient capabilities, and define where we should work with allies versus what must remain sovereign.