Lockheed Martin eyes the UK for £50m space base
Lockheed Martin is looking to plant a £50m satellite base in the northeast, as the UK emerges as a global player in the space industry.
The government’s ambition to grow the sector has caught the eye of the US aerospace and defence giant, as it seeks favourable market conditions.
In a move which could create up to 2,300 jobs, Lockheed has started scouting for businesses and skills organisations in the northeast to help develop the base, which could also include manufacturing as well as research and development.
Lockheed Martin’s UK and Europe regional director for Space, Nik Smith explained the move would bolster the government’s Levelling Up plans and help the UK with its new National and Defence Space Strategies.
“We are committed to making the UK one of the most prosperous and capable space sectors in the world,” Smith added.
“We’ve identified North East England as a strong contender for our future operations, potentially creating new high-technology engineering and manufacturing jobs for the region.”
Lockheed, one of the world’s biggest space businesses, has been playing a critical role in all 22 NASA missions to Mars, and is currently helping the US space agency to retrieve rock samples from the Red Planet, in a $194m (£144.7m) contract.
Lockheed’s UK boss, Paul Livingston said: “We invest on average £1.8bn in the UK each year.
“Increasing our investments is a key tenant of our global growth strategy and will enable us to partner with the government as it looks to achieve its vision of making the UK one of the most attractive and innovative space sectors in the world.”