Introduction – From Imagination to Reality

The British Interplanetary Society, founded in 1933, remains the world’s oldest continuously operating space society.  With our focus on the peaceful use of space for the benefit of humanity, throughout its history the Society has championed ideas to explore our Solar System and further afield.

With this new five year strategy, which will cover our 90^th anniversary, the BIS will grow its relationship with the ever expanding British space sector, whilst building on its existing links within the global space community.  As the leading body within the UK for those employed in, studying, or just excited by, space exploration, we growingly see the need for us to highlight to the government, the media and the wider public the strategic importance of space, its economic benefits and its application and relevance in every day life.

Our suite of events and publications, including our flagship conference Reinventing Space and UK co-ordination of World Space Week, and our monthly SpaceFlight magazine and JBIS peer-reviewed journal, are important to our members and supporters, and we will continue to deliver on these keystones of our organisation, whilst we develop our offer to appeal to a 2020 audience.

Our organisational aims

The Society thrives due to our members, and we will work harder to ensure that we engage and consult with our Fellowship and Membership.  This will include enhancing our digital offer through new web-based tools, surveying our membership, and developing our regional and international branches.

Alongside our staff team, our volunteers are essential, and a new structure for volunteers will ensure that we are able to more formally recognise the time and support that our volunteers give – from our most eminent space leaders through to those who contribute to the running of the office.  We will also ensure that staff have the support that they need to be as effective as possible within the organisation, including taking care of their wellbeing.

We will also take care to understand and make best use of our assets.  From our building to our precious collection of heritage assets, our aim will be to ensure that these are accessible to our members, and those researching the history of space exploration, whilst also supporting the funding of the organisation.

None of this will be possible without the ongoing support of our members, as well as that of corporate partners, individual donors and larger funders.  We will work hard to ensure that we can deliver attractive proposals to those who are able to give financial support to our continued work, and find new ways to build our financial capacity and resilience.

Our professional priorities

The BIS has six professional priorities to take us through the first half of the 2020s.  We recognise that it will take time to develop each of these strands of work, but we aim to be delivering on each element by the end of 2026.  Each is as important as the next, and fit together.

• Engage
  • Diversify our engagement with our members and supporters
    • Through membership surveys, new digital services, regional and international engagement, and targeted events, the BIS will be representative across the space sector.
    • We will run content and activities covering the range of space based professions from engineering to law, logistics to marketing.
• Advocate
  • Be a voice and advocate for space in Britain
  • We will represent our wider membership and our Business Network, advocating for those involved in space, academia, young professionals and entrepreneurs in our work with government and the media.
  • We will play our part in raising the profile of the UK space sector at home, and represent British interests overseas
• Develop
  • Focus on professional development
    • For those early in their career, supporting their professional development is vital. For this reason, the BIS will develop new partnerships and schemes to provide pathways to qualifications, opportunities for CPD and look at supporting activities to build practical skills.
• Technical
  • Develop our technical projects
    • For many members, the opportunity to work with others on the theoretical development of technical projects, working with professionals, students and academics, is a unique benefit of the BIS. We will grow this area of work, providing more opportunities to those of all ages and abilities.
• Outreach
  • Grow our Outreach
    • Inspiring the next generation, as well as enthusing the wider public about space, is fundamental to our charitable and educational purpose.
    • We will develop our approach to outreach, making ourselves available to schools, family focussed events, and through new technology.
• Excellence
  • Celebrate excellence and highlight innovation
    • Amazing progress is being made around the world to utilise the space sector, and the BIS will seek out and celebrate examples of this in the UK and internationally.
    • Through the Arthur Clarke Awards, our own medals, and upcoming Technical Prizes, we will showcase talent, determination and creativity within the sector.

The Space industry is one of the fastest growing sectors within the UK.  According to UK Space Agency research, the space sector brings in income of £15bn (as at 2016/17), with £300m of UK GDP supported by the wider satellite industry.  Even during the Covid-19 crisis of 2020, more than half of businesses surveyed by UK Space saw demand holding steady or increasing.

As at 2017, there were 42,000 people employed in the space sector in the UK.  As we seek an economic recovery following the pandemic, the opportunities for space to play a vital role in growth are huge.  Government investment continues in space related R&D, and as awareness grows around the British spaceports, so will ambition.

Around the world the desire to explore space is returning, NASA’s Artemis plan, ESA’s Solar Orbiter, or the UAE Project Hope mission to Mars.  Commercial opportunities for space travel are now a reality, as demonstrated by Space X, with Virgin Galactic plans unveiled.  And the reality of how space exploration can help preserve the Earth are being realised, with data from Copernicus feeding back information on environmental challenges such as climate change, plastic pollution and forest fires.

The BIS will be active every step of the way, sharing information and knowledge, shining a light on innovation in Britain and globally, and helping those with ideas find the resources and networks they need.