Launching the Rise Together Space Alliance

The UK space sector is growing rapidly, but without the right people, in the right jobs, supported in the right way, this growth will be limited.

Right now, we face systemic challenge:

  • We’re struggling to attract, retain, and develop talent across the entire space sector pipeline, from school to senior leadership.
  • Skills gaps and workforce churn are threatening the UK’s ability to lead globally and compete economically.
  • A lack of diversity across the sector is narrowing the field of talent and limiting expansion potential.

WHY?

The RISE Together Space Hub will exist to help solve these problems through the creation of an independent, sustainable infrastructure which aims to provide tailored support for individuals at every stage of their career, and through every interaction with the space sector.

The RISE Together Space Hub will support talent and help to drive long-term, sustainable sector growth. We will support individuals to realise their potential in the space sector and help organisations to build high performing teams, enabling the sector to thrive.

This isn’t a one-off programme. It’s an ecosystem.

Through this targeted, impactful support system which will offer a personalised solutions-based approach, individuals and organisations will be able to access:

  • Expert-led events, surgeries and targeted support
  • Strategic mentoring, internships and career development opportunities
  • Curated resources, community and best practice guidance
  • Data-driven insights to inform engagement, recruitment, retention and progression

The RISE Together community currently consists of 200 members from across the sector.

OUR HISTORY

On the 11th October 2023, the Rise Together Space Alliance was launched at a Solutions Summit at Harwell Space Campus.

The summit brought the space community together to understand how to best support everyone involved, or wanting to be involved, in one of the world’s most ambitious arenas.

“The Rise Together Space Alliance is the first alliance of its type in the space sector. We all want to do more, and we all know that change only happens if there are activities that facilitate it. This alliance is a commitment from the leadership in the space sector to bring the community together to make it diverse and inclusive for all”

Barbara Ghinelli Rise Together Co-Founder Oct 2023

Alongside Barbara Ghinelli, the Rise Together Manifesto was delivered by Anita Bernie, Alice Bunn, Emma Egging, Rebecca Evernden and Elizabeth Seward, and the summit saw an impressive line-up of speakers and panellists.

Since 2023, the Rise Together space community has continued to grow. In November 2024 an action-based Rise Together Space Workshop was hosted at the Catapult at Harwell Space Cluster, facilitated by Emma Egging and Susan Charlesworth to refine RISE Together’s mission statement, define its target audiences and identify next steps. The workshop planted the seed of a ‘hub’ approach and made important progress in providing clarity around shared goals about how we support our peers and begin to dismantle barriers to progression in the sector.

The full RISE Together report that was produced following the conference can be viewed here

RISE Together Report

NEXT STEPS

RISE Together Space Hub’s remit will be formally announced at the UK Space Conference in Manchester in July 2025.

We currently seek essential seed funding and key strategic partnerships to build-out the framework around the RISE Together Space Hub for the benefit of the sector and the talent who serve it.

Stay tuned as we share information no how to join the RISE Together community.

OUR MISSION

RISE Together Space Alliance is committed to uniting the UK space community under a shared vision of diversity and inclusion. We aim to identify and remove barriers to opportunity and career progression within the sector. By working in partnership with complementary initiatives, RISE Together seeks to campaign against discrimination, bias, and stereotypes, and support companies to establish and foster a supportive and empowering environment for all individuals in the space sector through focused and shared initiatives.