UK opens £20-million space facility in Buckinghamshire
The Westcott Space Hub has officially been opened, offering testing laboratories, commercial office space, and training spaces across a facility spanning 62,000 square feet.
The government announced the official opening of the £20-million Hub, which is located at Westcott Venture Park and has more than 50 years of history as a rocket engine test site.
The new facility will feature one of the largest vacuum chambers for testing electric propulsion engines in the world.
The Westcott Space Hub will house URA Thrusters, which develops sustainable propulsion systems for spacecraft, in one of its main buildings.
This will allows URA to deliver the first water electrolysis propulsion system and the first low-power electrospray thruster, which are planned to be launched in 2027.
Other facilities available within the Space Hub include a fully equipped workshop, lecture auditorium, 15 classrooms, and testing facilities available to hire.
33% of the commercial space is already pre-let, and the development is backed by £5.8 million from the UK Space Agency.
“The opening of the Westcott Space Hub marks another exciting milestone for the UK’s space ambitions,” said Space Minister Liz Lloyd.
“This investment is about more than infrastructure – it’s about creating skilled jobs, attracting private investment, and ensuring that the next generation of space technologies are designed, built and tested right here in the UK.”
