UK IT sector 'to benefit from space exploration money'

Contractors in the technology sector could be set to see their job opportunities boosted by an unexpected benefactor - the space exploration industry.

According to the Space Innovation and Growth Strategy report, carried out by a group of government experts, scientists and heads of industry, the sector could bring up to 100,000 new jobs to the UK over the next 20 years.

The global space market is forecast to be worth at least £400 billion by 2030 and the UK has set its sights on capturing ten per cent of this funding.

In particular, contractors in the IT and telecoms fields could be in line to benefit from the investment of space exploration money, according to industry trade association UKspace.

Richard Peckham, chairman of the organisation, explained that these jobs will primarily come in providing infrastructure and applications, as well as the hardware and software involved in building satellites.

"So a lot of the jobs are really based within the electronics, software and IT industry," he said.

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