Space Florida delegation in flying visit to County Durham
Their mission is to forge businesses and partnerships in the North East and push the USA and UK ahead in the space race.
Space Florida’s vice president of business development, Matt Chestnut, is scheduled to present a keynote speech at the North East Space Conference in Durham on Wednesday, June 25.
His team will join the session, ‘Florida and the North East – Priorities and Synergies,’ with numerous one-on-one meetings throughout the day.
The Florida Space Agency’s presence at the conference is seen as a sign that the region’s burgeoning space sector is making waves outside the region.
John Bone, chair of the North East Space Leadership group, which organises the conference, said: “It’s fantastic for us because it’s a demonstration that we’re on the map globally, as a region.
“The more connections we can make internationally, the better for us and for the UK.
“So I’m hoping we can do a lot more with Florida than just invite them to the conference.”
Florida is America’s leading space state, investing significant time and money in the industry.
Therefore, the agency’s visit is regarded a win for the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Gaby Bonetti, the UK Department for Business and Trade’s director of trade for Florida, said: “The Secretary of Commerce for the State of Florida, Alex Kelly, is leading a large delegation which will meet the UK Government in London on Monday, looking to build on current relationships.
“Most importantly, we’re bringing Space Florida, the agency that runs all space operations at Cape Canaveral, who are not only developers with a large budget but also a lease administrator at Cape Canaveral’s Merritt Island, where all the launch activity happens—they support every incoming space company.”
Ms Bonetti stressed that the North East is one of the UK’s most important space clusters, making it an essential stop for the Florida delegation.
The conference is expected to be a pivotal opportunity for hundreds of delegates to establish connections with their American counterparts.
She said: “We’ve seen massive investment in Florida, with SpaceX currently building two Starship launchpads and aiming to conduct multiple launches by 2028.
“The level of development in Florida is incredible, and we want to ensure the UK is part of that.
“We’re seeing interest across the board, though satellite tech leads the way, and all of this activity falls under the umbrella of Space Florida, whose vice president of development will be attending the North East Space Conference and delivering a keynote address.”
The demand for space infrastructure in the Cape Canaveral area, known as the Space Coast, is enormous, according to Ms Bonetti.
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“My job and the job of my team is to make sure the UK is part of this momentum.
“We’re looking at UK companies that are ready to export and connecting them to Florida’s ecosystem, and we’re also working with Florida companies ready to go international.”
Ms Bonetti also spoke of the importance of the North East conference, saying it had been invaluable in providing a dedicated Florida panel.
John Bone added: “It’s very exciting for our region, and the conference is going to act as a catalyst, which is a tribute to the hard work put in by Space North East England and its partners over the years in developing the region’s space cluster and focusing interest on the capabilities the North East has on its doorstep.”