UK space industry earns $12 billion a year

BBC : The newly created UK Space Agency has a modest budget of around $400 million. Surprisingly, the total size of Britain’s space industry is far higher—$12 billion—and is growing at an annual rate of 15%, despite the recession. According to a report from Oxford Economics, firms in “downstream” industries, such as space-based communication, have the highest revenues, but “upstream” industries, such as spacecraft manufacturing, are also healthy.