Space Scotland, the voice of the industrial space community, has appointed former NASA and European Space Agency veteran Dr Hina Khan as its first executive director.

Dr Khan, from Glasgow, said: “Landing a leading role at Space Scotland really was my dream and when I heard about the opportunity, I knew this was something that I had to be part of.

“Throughout my career, I have helped numerous companies drive forward their ambitions in space technology, so much so that when I was offered the Executive Director position, I couldn’t have imagined a better fit.”

The industry-led body is made up of 60 space companies, as well as academia and government officials, including Trade Minister, Ivan McKee.

Space Scotland has also appointed health and energy specialist Dr Natasha Nicholson as cluster manager.