A Scottish testing facility is re-opening following a £400,000 upgrade to better serve the country's growing space industry.
Located within the Higgs Centre for Innovation in Edinburgh, the nine-month overhaul has included the installation of new and upgraded equipment providing a wider range of environmental testing of satellites and other spacecraft in advance of launch. The offering now includes vibration, thermal, vacuum, optical, SpaceWire, electromagnetic compatibility, and radio frequency testing.
The upgrade will allow the facility to better support early-stage space businesses that make up the majority of the sector in Scotland, which is home to more than 180 companies operating in the industry.
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“After nine months of hard work we are thrilled to throw open our doors once again and invite companies to access our bigger and better range of dedicated space testing facilities at the Higgs Centre," head of innovation Julian Dines said.
“This upgrade means an even broader range of space testing can now take place on site here in Edinburgh, increasing the reliability of satellites in orbit. We look forward to supporting the further expansion of the burgeoning space sector in Scotland – particularly as we approach the next phase in the sector’s development with space launch from Scotland.”
SaxaVord spaceport in Shetland is expected to become home to the first rocket launch from UK soil. This was originally due to take place by the end of this year, but was delayed by an engine explosion in which no one was hurt during pre-launch testing in August.
Sutherland Spaceport, operated by Scottish rocket manufacturer Orbex, is also working towards its first launch from the A'Mhoine peninsula.
The investment in the testing centre has come from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), an agency in charge of UK government research in this area. The Higgs Centre is part of the STFC and is co-located with the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) and the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Astronomy (IfA) at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh.
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The site also hosts Scotland’s European Space Agency (ESA) Business Incubation Centre UK.
"The relaunch of the Higgs Centre for Innovation's Space Testing Facility will benefit Scotland and the UK as a whole, catalysing investment and strengthening our end-to-end space sector capabilities," said Annelies Look, deputy chief executive at the UK Space Agency.
“By providing affordable world-class testing equipment and specialist guidance, the Higgs Centre is empowering early-stage tech start-ups and space SMEs to innovate, reduce risks, and bring their products to market faster. This will ensure that Scotland and the UK remain at the forefront of space exploration and technology, creating jobs and driving economic growth."
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