LONDON — Centropy PR has picked up its third space industry client this year, winning the communications brief for Cardiff-based aerospace research and development firm Smallspark Space Systems after a competitive pitch.

Smallspark’s products includes suborbital research launch vehicle Frost Micro and Frost One, which is set to become the UK’s leading orbital launch vehicle. The company has already secured grant funding from multiple research programmes including SPRINT and the UK Space Agency.

Centropy will provide a range of communications services, including media relations, public policy guidance, thought leadership and social media consultancy.

Smallspark is the latest space industry client win for the agency, at a time when the sector is booming: the UK’s space industry has trebled in size since 2000 and contributes £5.7 billion to GDP.

In August this year, space deployment think tank the British Interplanetary appointed Centropy as its agency of record, and in July it started working with the Shetland Space Centre, a new satellite launch site planned on the UK’s most northerly island.

Centropy founder Steven George-Hilley, a former Hotwire board director who set up the firm in 2017, said: “We’re excited to announce our third space industry win in three months as we broaden our rapidly growing science and technology portfolio of retained clients. The UK space industry is growing rapidly, creating jobs, driving the skills agenda, and is set to play a crucial role in rebuilding the economy following lockdown. This is a key area of growth for us and we will continue to build our expertise in this area in the coming months.”

Smallspark Space Systems founder Joseph Ward added: “We were seeking an agency that could support our rapid growth with creative campaigns and help take our message to market. The Centropy team demonstrated real knowledge of the space sector as well as a passion for PR and we’re thrilled to be working with them.”