spacetoday.net: British space industry growing

Posted: Wed, Apr 14, 2004, 10:36 PM ET (0236 GMT)
The space industry in the United Kingdom has grown by 20 percent over the last two years, according to a report released this week by the British government. The study, released Tuesday by the British National Space Centre, found that the space industry in the UK recorded total revenues of £3.9 billion (US$7 billion) in 2002-03, compared to £3.24 billion (US$5.8 billion) in 2000-01. Most of that revenue — nearly £3.4 billion (US$6.1 billion), came from the "downstream" sector, which includes services like satellite TV. The "upstream" sector, which includes providers of space technology like satellite manufacturers, recorded £501 million (US$900 million) in revenues in 2002-03. The report also found that 15,700 people work in the space industry in the UK.