Talking-up Scotland

(c) AP

According to Insider magazine today:

‘Home to companies such as Clyde Space and Alba Orbital, Glasgow has built more satellites than any other European city during the last few years.  The industry has created more than 7,000 jobs and is worth £130m to the Scottish economy. It is hoped the country can grab more of the global market by becoming home to the UK’s first spaceport, which would give Britain its own rocket launch capability. The world-wide market for launching satellites is estimated to be £25bn during the next 20 years.’

However, it’s not just in Glasgow that things are happening. Edinburgh satellite manufacturer have developed a new ‘super-compressor’ which will improve propulsion in the small satellites that Scotland specialises in. The company, Vert rotors produces ‘ultra-compact gas compressors for aerospace, medical and other applications where vibration and noise are unacceptable and dimensions and weight are mission-critical.’

http://www.insider.co.uk/news/vert-rotors-unveils-new-invention-11564858

This is one more report in a fairly regular sequence on innovation in high tech industries coming from Scottish cities. See these recent examples:

Clydebank homes to be heated using heat pump technology drawing water from the Clyde, 165 years after it was first suggested

Glasgow University aims to be UK’s second ‘5G technology demonstrator’

Scotland at forefront of another new technology: Blockchain. Get your ‘high Byzantine fault tolerance.’ here

SNP help further impressive growth in new technology sector as: ‘Number of Scottish games firms grows 600% in five years’

It’s Dundee hitting the headlines for all the right reasons and not for the first time this year