Snowdonia Space Centre blasts off in style

A joint venture between the Snowdonia Aerospace Centre and Newton Launch Systems, the Snowdonia Space Centre officially opened its doors on the 22nd May at a grand opening. It was attended by Rebecca Evans, MS, Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Matt Archer, Director of Launch at the UK Space Agency, alongside representatives from Space Wales, a number of universities, and the wider space industry.

To celebrate the grand opening, a high-altitude balloon with attached CubeSat was launched by Sent Into Space, with visitors able to view and track its progress to the edge of space from the Centre’s mission control room.

It also featured a live rocket firing demonstration conducted by Launch Access. The launch utilised one of the two new launch rails installed at the Centre.

The new Centre, which received £820,000 of funding from the UK Space Agency to support its development, as part of a total investment made of in excess £1.3million, will provide a much-needed boost for the local economy, generating business growth and employment opportunities. The Space Centre will also be home to educational facilities to support both universities and primary and secondary STEM learning. It has already hosted a number of rocketry and cansat-focused STEM events for Welsh pupils with the aim of expanding these opportunities in the future.

For the space industry, the Centre provides early and low-cost access to state-of-the-art testing facilities enabling companies to accelerate the development of new products and technologies. It features a purpose-built laboratory with cutting-edge testing equipment, a rocket engine test stand and two launch rails, as well as a flight test range for trialling and researching various modes of space flight such as rocket-powered vehicles and near-space scientific flights.

Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant said: "The opening of the Snowdonia Space Centre cements our commitment to building a space ecosystem right across the UK. The Centre will not only drive economic growth in North Wales but also inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers through its outstanding educational facilities, strengthening Britain’s position as a space superpower.”

Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans, said: “It was a real privilege to be part of the official opening of Snowdonia Space Centre and to see first-hand its impressive new facilities. This is a landmark moment not only for the local community – bringing new opportunities, skills, and investment to the region – but also for the wider UK space sector. Facilities like this will play a crucial role in delivering our National Space Strategy for Wales, strengthening Wales’ position as a hub for innovation and helping drive forward the UK’s space ambitions.”

Jeremy Howitt, Technical Director, Snowdonia Space Centre, said: “The Snowdonia Space Centre has been created alongside the Snowdonia Aerospace Centre to provide opportunities for Universities, startups, SMEs, and even larger players, to get early access to flight test capabilities, to be able to learn lessons early in the development cycle for new products, and to accelerate the route to market for those innovations. As well as providing much needed testing facilities to the UK space industry, we hope the Centre will help to stimulate local and national interest in the space industry and inspire more young people to engage in a career in the space industry.”

Matt Archer, Director of Launch, UK Space Agency, added: “The opening of the Space Technology Test Centre marks a significant step forward for the UK’s space capabilities. The Centre will provide academic and commercial organisations in the UK with the facilities they need to develop, test and qualify space technology and products.”

Lee Paul, Chief Executive Officer at the Centre added “The opening of the new Space Centre is complementary to the existing operations that we undertake at the Test Centre which supports the trialling and development of a range of future flight novel aerospace systems. We hope to be able to now progress with our larger future masterplan for the site which includes a new Space Discovery Centre featuring observatories and planetarium, designed to further enhance the opportunities for learning and astrotourism. We are in one of the most accessible and spectacular Dark Skies settings in the World”.