In 2021, three names dominated headlines in space news - Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Elon Musk. While these billionaires may have provoked their share of controversy in what seemed to be a very expensive game of one-upmanship, there is something more significant to the future of space travel brewing in the background. Bezos, Branson and Musk all travelled to space on private-sector spacecraft.

The race to space is no longer exclusive to world leaders and government-linked agencies - it is now open to world-changing innovators and those with the resources to do so.

This opportunity has not gone unnoticed in the UK, with a number of initiatives launched over the last few years to support tech innovators