Snowdonia space rocket centre moves closer
A Snowdonia space research centre has moved a step closer after winning £820,000 in funding.
The money has come from the UK Space Agency to support the development of a new Snowdonia Space Technology Centre at the former Llanbedr Airfield.
The area, between Porthmadog and Barmouth, is considered ideal for a possible space centre because nearby Cardigan Bay offers an adequate 'danger area' over which rockets can be fired.
It wants to provide a flight test range for rocket-powered test vehicles, near-space scientific flights, microgravity research and trials of re-entry vehicles and payload recovery systems.
The test range will be complemented by a space technology testing laboratory featuring a centrifuge, thermal vacuum chamber, vibration table, aerostructures rig and a rocket engine test stand.
Infrastructure will also be developed, such as the installation of two launch rails and the necessary tracking and communications equipment to enable safe operation of the range. The flight test range will be complemented by a space technology testing laboratory and rocket propulsion test facility.
UK Space Sgency has paid the money through the Agencies Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund and it is hoped private investment will also help the development. The airfield is currently used commercially, including by Snowdonia Flight School.
In support of these activities, the grant together with private investment will be used to develop new Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E)
The proposed Snowdonia Space Technology Centre (SSTC) will be made available to UK organisations to develop, test and qualify space technology and products in advance of commercial exploitation and to host training events supporting the UK skills base.
The project is due to be completed by March 2025.
Jeremy Howitt of the Space Centre said: “The Snowdonia STTC will serve the needs of the UK launch supply chain, particularly the large number of SME’s and academia whose technical progress is constrained by the acknowledged lack of affordable and timely access to test facilities across the UK. The STTC will increase the capability, capacity and geographical connectivity of UK Space RDT&E infrastructure and help this community accelerate the development of their products and services from proof-of-concept through to commercial exploitation and make a lasting and valuable contribution to the wider UK economy.”
Snowdonia Aerospace Centre, which currently operates the former Llanbedr Airfield, has already invested over £2m in the refurbishment of the Llanbedr infrastructure across the site to create a multi-use flight test centre for new and novel aerospace and space systems, including creation of a permanent Danger Area to support experimental flight testing over Cardigan Bay along with the necessary supporting Air Navigation Service Provision (ANSP).
In addition, Newton Launch Systems has invested in office and laboratory facilities at the Snowdonia Space Centre to support small scale rocket testing. This proposal will support expansion of these facilities and the creation of a dedicated Space Technology Test Centre that can be offered as an on-demand service to the UK space community
