London Economics Ltd

Our Space Team are looking for a new Senior Team Member - please see the vacancy now live on our website: https://lnkd.in/dh_kVzk #economics #consultancy #vacancy #space

The (largely) successful launch of Ariane 6 is a significant milestone for Europe. This is not just because of that intangible concept of independence and sovereign launch capabilities, but because it offers the space industry the prospect of additional launch capacity. This is important. The industry already faces launch capacity constraints today. Slots are dominated by LEO operators and what remains may imply significant schedule delays for everyone else. The reusability of Starship promises falling launch costs for SpaceX, but this will only translate into price reductions for customers if there is competitive pressure in the market. Without it, SpaceX will grow margins, generate outsized earnings to further disrupt the industry, or block access as Starlink replenishment, the US Government, and ‘Mars exploration’ are prioritised. Ariane 6 will not offer the same volume, mass, and unit economics of a successful Starship, but we need alternatives at a high launch cadence to realise the forecast reduction in launch costs and the various downstream business models that are reliant on cheap launch.

We're excited to share our new estimates of the net benefits of international students to the UK by constituency! For the first time ever, these are based on the new parliamentary constituency boundaries, and use more granular and up-to-date data on where international students live, allowing us to provide a clearer picture of impacts across all constituencies. London Economics Ltd Higher Education Policy Institute Kaplan International Pathways

The $1 billion charge that Airbus Defence and Space is taking on its commercial space programme is big news. This is not just about cost and schedule overruns, but a response to a fundamental change in the commercial satcom market. Thanks to Quilty Space's analysis, we now know that the SpaceX's Starlink is not going to go away. The low levels of GEO orders represents the new norm rather than a temporary blip because of higher interest rates and market uncertainty - a trend that is compounded by the new wave of market consolidation. The promise of cost competitiveness and reduced market risk from a new generation of software defined satellites standardised on a production line is a nice idea, but has unfortunately been difficult to execute to time, budget, and planned scope. The implications for Europe's space industry are potentially significant. In a world of lower GEO orders, are two large space businesses in Europe sustainable? This question has been on the table for a long time, but now Europe's governments might agree. Yes, ESA and all satellite operators across the globe have benefited immensely from the fierce competition between TAS and Airbus for years, but neither can afford to make losses on the commercial satcom business indefinitely, especially without the large government contracts to offset it. The politicians may finally judge that now is the time for a European champion with the scale to compete globally with their North American counterparts, that also aren't immune from internal pressures to consolidate (they do however have huge government and NASA contracts to keep themselves busy). IRIS2 is clearly Europe's plan to keep the space business going, but it assumes a public-private partnership and therefore a significant matched contribution from industry. Eutelsat-OneWeb and SES-Intelsat will be short of capital post-merger so the wrangling over funding will take years and the decision to merge might not wait. Such a move would suggest a reduction in the vast and duplicate capabilities across Airbus Defence & Space and Thales Alenia Space - something that ESA's georeturn policy has encouraged as a strategic necessity. The French Government sits on the board of Airbus and TAS, so one can assume prioritisation of French sites and manpower, but what about the UK who sits outside Europe's political tent and the EC budget? I hope that the UK Space Agency's National Space Strategy accounts for the potential risk to the world class capabilities in Stevenage, Portsmouth, Bristol, Belfast, Harwell, and other sites and has a potential mitigation plan in place.

Our latest Space in Focus on the importance of GNSS resilience has just been published. Lauren Miller presents findings from our recent study with the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation. Dana A. Goward, FRIN Rasmus Flytkjær Farooq Sabri Ethan Sorrell https://lnkd.in/g2kZ5_QM

Our latest Space in Focus on the importance of GNSS resilience has just been published. Lauren Miller presents findings from our recent study with the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation. Dana A. Goward, FRIN Rasmus Flytkjær Farooq Sabri Ethan Sorrell https://lnkd.in/g2kZ5_QM

We are proud to reveal that our total economic and social impact is £4.4 billion, demonstrating the important contribution universities make to the UK economy. Find out more about London Economics Ltd's analysis of how teaching, research, international students and more make up that total figure: https://lnkd.in/ew9nTuCN

GNSS is critical to aviation, but how disruptive is a 24+ hour disruption event? Two recent events at Dallas (DFW) and Denver (DEN) gave us a chance to find out. Our study for the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation found that both airports had sufficient redundancy, but many others would struggle without such mechanisms. 'Rationalising' this infrastructure to cut costs poses a potentially significant threat to economic activity in an environment where disruption events are increasing. Just ask those in the Baltic. London Economics Ltd Dana A. Goward, FRIN Rasmus Flytkjær Lauren Miller Ethan Sorrell #GNSS #GPS #aviation

Ahead of the General Election, Gavan Conlon spoke to The Scottish Parliament about what the data shows regarding the financial challenges faced by higher education institutions, including those in Scotland. #HEFees #HigherEducation #Challenges #GE2024 #GeneralElection