A £20 million space R&D hub has officially opened at Westcott, UK, providing advanced testing facilities intended to help space businesses grow.
The Westcott Space Hub, led by URA Thrusters in partnership with Patrizia Hanover Property Unit Trust, Skyports Drone Services, Westcott Shared Facilities and Buckinghamshire Council, covers 62,000ft² (5,760m²).
The Hub is located at Westcott Venture Park, which has been a rocket engine test site for more than 50 years, and is backed by £5.8m from the UK Space Agency and £14.2 million from industry.
Westcott Venture Park already hosts several companies focused on space propulsion, autonomous systems, robotics and communications, as well as the UK’s National Space Propulsion Test Facility.
The new Hub includes 42,000ft² (3,900m²) of flexible commercial space featuring offices, laboratories and workshops, and a 10,000ft² (930m²) training facility with a 150-seat lecture auditorium, 15 classrooms and a workshop.
The remaining 10,000ft² (930m²) houses shared facilities including a clean room, mechanical environmental testing facilities, propulsion testing facilities and a vacuum chamber for electric propulsion engine testing. The vacuum chamber is the only facility of its type in the UK and one of the largest in the world.
“The opening of the Westcott Space Hub marks another exciting milestone for the UK’s space ambitions,” said Liz Lloyd, UK Space Minister. “By combining testing facilities with space for businesses to grow and collaborate, we’re giving British innovators the tools they need to compete on the global stage.”
Alberto Garbayo, CEO of space propulsion company URA Thrusters said, “The Westcott Space Hub, in conjunction with our historic existing testing sites in Westcott, has made us one of the few companies in the world with capacity for full integration, production and in-vacuum testing for both, chemical and electric thrusters.
“Westcott is becoming one of the leading propulsion testing sites in the world, but, thanks to the Hub, it is becoming an even more attractive place to conduct other space business activities. Over the next few years we will see more Westcott-made technologies going into orbit, including deep-space.”
The project, which began in December 2023, has been delivered with £15 million in match funding. The hub is expected to create approximately 100 direct jobs and 200 roles in the wider supply chain.
Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said, “This world-class facility will provide companies with access to cutting-edge testing infrastructure that was previously unavailable in this country, helping them to scale up and compete globally.”
URA Thrusters has expanded into one of the main buildings and from the site will develop the first water electrolysis propulsion system and the first low power 50W electrospray thruster, planned for launch from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland in 2027.
