The City of Glasgow is renowned for its engineering and technological innovation; famous Glaswegian
inventors and academics include James Watt (Steam Engine) and John Logie Baird (television), amongst many
others. Contemporary Glasgow continues to pioneer and invent in a multitude of areas of science and
technology and has become a centre of excellence in many fields of engineering; including spacecraft
engineering.
This paper will discuss how Clyde Space Ltd and the space groups at both Glasgow and Strathclyde
Universities are combining their knowledge and expertise to develop an advanced microspacecraft platform that
will enable a step change in the utility value of miniature spacecraft. The paper will also explore how the
relationship between the academic and industrial partners works in practice and the steps that have been taken
to harness resulting innovation to create space industry jobs within a city that was, until recently, void of any
commercial space activity
