While few could place the tiny Isle of Man on earth, it is already becoming a big name in space. There are 16 aerospace companies on the island and the sector is second only to banking in economic importance.

Some £9m ($14m) has been invested in the past four years, much of it from the government, with output increasing 30 per cent, and the cluster supplies the likes of Rolls-Royce, Boeing and the US space programme.