Britain’s space start-ups are rocketing up
The Times
07 June, 2022
[….] What else do innovative space entrepreneurs need now to fuel further growth? John Finney is founder and CEO of Reading-based Isotropic Systems, which has developed a terminal able to listen to several satellite signals simultaneously. It has raised $116 million (£92 million) since launching in 2013, including government grants. Finney, a 48-year-old telecoms industry veteran, also said grants should “target only UK companies” to help build a domestic supply chain.
The entrepreneur said he wanted to keep all Isotropic’s manufacturing in Britain, yet is set to shift production to the US after encountering delays. States such as Florida offer the slick infrastructure for space start-ups that Finney still cannot see here. He believes it is vital the government sets up a national taskforce dedicated to keeping space-centred manufacturing jobs in the country.
He said: “There is a perfect moment in the UK space sector, with a bit more oversight from the government, where they can take the highest-growth companies and in an agile way look at [helping] them, and then bring in others [to the UK].” [….]