UK Space Facilities Industrial Space Test Facilities

Industrial Space Test Facilities

3C Test Ltd
3C Test has become one the UK leading EMC test houses and fully intends to maintain that position. It can provide a comprehensive EMC testing service at unit or subsystem level.
AAC Clyde Space
AAC Clyde Space’s in-house facilities are fully committed to its own extensive manufacturing and test programmes and so the company does not offer stand-alone testing services, instead primarily offering these as subsets of larger programmes.
ABSL Enersys
ABSL has a World-class suite of design, build and testing facilities for cell screening, matching and acceptance testing for the production of space-qualified Lithium-ion batteries.
Advanced Forming Research Centre – University of Strathclyde
Full details of services and equipment may be found on the AFRC website, and a pdf brochure is available with full equipment details.
Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre
The AMRC of the University of Sheffield is one of the 7 institutes of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. Businesses can work with AMRC on a one-off project or join as a member for long-term collaboration.
AEON Engineering Ltd
AEON is a multidisciplinary engineering design, technology development and product test house. They work with Academic and R&D Institutions to deliver fully functioning products for R&D and Space applications.
Airborne Engineering Ltd
Airborne Engineering Ltd is a UK company based at Westcott Venture Park in Buckinghamshire, site of the former Rocket Propulsion Establishment (RPE Westcott) and its staff have over 70 years combined experience in rocket systems design and testing.
Airbus Defence & Space – Portsmouth Site
The Airbus Portsmouth site has a very extensive range of space development and test facilities which effectively constitute a one-stop-shop for many of its own programmes.
Airbus DS Stevenage
The Airbus Stevenage site has an extensive range of space development and test facilities which effectively constitute a one-stop-shop for many of its own programmes.
AVS-UK
AVS conceives and develops high-value mechanisms, instruments and robotics for high-value Space missions. AVS is also developing its own catalogue of Space products for IOS, mechanisms, propulsion systems and thermal devices.
Blue Abyss
Blue Abyss is establishing the next generation of extreme environment research & test centres to serve the needs of the offshore energy, maritime security and space sectors.
Centre for Process Innovation
CPI project teams work closely with organisations to understand distinct requirements and to create a custom and systematic stage-gated process to inform development routes and commercialisation models.
Cobham
Cobham RAD Europe is a business unit of Cobham plc, structurally within the Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions division which produces a wide range of space and defence hardware, including radiation hard components, antennas and actuators.
Commercial Data and Compute (Cloud) Services
Cloud services in principle allow access to virtually limitless computing resources, which scale with cost. Provided the architecture fits the proposed application and data management requirements, the cloud resources can grow with need, avoiding concerns
Deimos UK - Harwell
Deimos currently has no plans to develop new facilities in the UK, but there is a possibility that future Deimos spacecraft assembled and integrated outside the UK could be environmentally tested in the UK on the Harwell site.
Element Materials Technology
Within the UK, Element can provide a vast array of testing services of all types at its numerous locations. In particular the Wimborne and Hull facilities are able to provide the UK space community with comprehensive mechanical and RF testing services.
ESR Technologies
ESR Technology is active in a range of markets covering space and terrestrial industries and specialises in tribology, the field of engineering related to friction, wear and lubrication.
European Astrotech
EAL is generally content with its in-house design and test facilities and with the analysis capabilities of its main laboratory. Its B2 test bay is currently being upgraded to test subsystems associated with HTP (High Test Peroxide) green propellant.
Fluid Gravity Engineering Limited
Access to these software tools and services for specific applications is via direct consultancy with Fluid Gravity Engineering Ltd. Some packages can also be distributed under commercial or academic license.
Higgs Centre for Innovation
The Higgs Centre for Innovation is a government institute (part of STFC-UKRI, co-located with the UK Astronomy Technology Centre on the Royal Observatory Edinburgh site).
High Value Manufacturing Catapult
The High Value Manufacturing Catapult was established to be the catalyst for the growth and success of UK advanced manufacturing. The 7 centres offer access to world-class equipment, expertise and collaborative opportunities.
Honeywell (formerly COM DEV) - Aylesbury and Edinburgh
Honeywell (COM DEV) is generally well-equipped for its own purposes and can access those external facilities needed to support its RF component, subsystem manufacturing and test activities.
International Space Propulsion (ISP) - Marlborough
ISP’s consultancy expertise covers all aspects of space propulsion system design, manufacture, test and support services.
Intertek - Leatherhead
Within the UK, Intertek can provide an extensive array of testing services of all types at more than 50 locations. Specifically, the Leatherhead facility is able to provide a comprehensive EMC testing service.
ISVR Rayleigh Laboratories - Southampton
Although ISVR’s principal activities are centred on acoustics and vibration research, the Laboratory offers a comprehensive acoustic test facility for the space community, ranging from unit- or subsystem-level all the way up to spacecraft-level.
Jacobs
At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems UK - Harwell
LMS' UK space facilities include: ‘Aeroshell’ thermal protection systems for re-entry vehicles; payload release mechanisms; terrestrial and planetary landing systems; space-plane actuation systems; and hypersonic and aerodynamic modelling.
Magna Parva
Magna Parva’s manufacturing, environmental, validation and testing facilities are available to external users under suitable contractual arrangements.
Mars Space (MSL) - Southampton
The Mars Space EP Lab facilities are private, but are available for use by 3rd parties, subject to availability, and via normal commercial arrangements.
Nammo UK (Moog ISP) - Westcott
Nammo’s high altitude and sea‐level test cells at Westcott are all used to support in‐house rocket engine development projects, but there is some capacity for taking on external work, subject to availability and normal commercial arrangements.
National Physical Laboratory (NPL) - Teddington
The NPL range of facilities and measurement capabilities is not limited to those described above and covers a wide range of other areas.
National Satellite Test Facility
Newton Launch Systems
SME dedicated to the development of innovative space technology and providing the facilities for others to do likewise. Newton has teamed up with the Snowdonia Aerospace Centre to provide a range of test facilities at Llanbedr airfield.
Oxford Space Systems
Oxford Space Systems is an award-winning space technology business that's pioneering the development of a new generation of deployable antennas and structures that are lighter, less complex and lower cost than those in current commercial demand.
QinetiQ
QinetiQ are a world-leader in the provision of relevant Test & Evaluation services, an enabler to the delivery of advanced capability.
RAL Space
As part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, it is clearly part of RAL Space’s mission to provide world-class space development and test facilities for the UK space community.
Reaction Engines Ltd at Culham Science Centre
Reaction Engines is a UK-based company formed in 1989 to design and develop the technologies needed for a new class of innovative hypersonic propulsion system – the Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE).
Resonate Testing Ltd
Resonate Testing is an ISO17025:2017 accredited test facility providing environmental testing for the space industry, which includes vibration, shock, SRS shock and more.
Roxel (Safran-MBDA), Kidderminster
Roxel’s rocket motor design, manufacturing and testing facilities, which were established principally for its own development programmes make it ideally positioned to support external customers in all aspects of rocket propulsion systems.
Satellite Applications Catapult – Harwell
The Catapult has many down-stream facilities including an operations control centre with spacecraft and payload control software, data processing facilities and data visualisation facilities including a large video wall and 3-D visualisation suite.
Spur Electron Limited - Havant
Spur Electron’s expertise and facilities for EEE components and space electronics manufacturing at its Havant site constitute a world-class resource for the UK space community.
STAR-Dundee
STAR-Dundee has particular expertise in SpaceWire and SpaceFibre and its in‐house facilities are dedicated to these technologies and to their further development. STAR-Dundee is happy to work with external customers under suitable commercial arrangements.
Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL)
Surrey Satellite Technology's facilities are fully dedicated to the manufacture and testing of its own programme of small satellite manufacture and the company does not offer its facilities to third parties.
Thales Alenia Space – UK, Harwell, Bristol & Belfast
TAS UK is a member of a major European Large Scale Integrator, and as such has access to many European AIV facilities. It is watching developments of AIV facilities at the Harwell site with great interest.
TS-Space Systems
TS-Space Systems is a well established UK physics group that has been supporting the aerospace industry through their test services and products since 1984.
TWI Technology Centre (Wales), Port Talbot
The TWI Technology Centre in Wales offers truly World-class state-of-the-art facilities for research, development and application of NDT techniques which have direct application for the space sector.
UK Astronomy Technology Centre
The UK ATC has excellent facilities for development and test of space instrumentation as evidenced by a number of advanced technology space programmes it has worked on including MIRI and SPIRE;
Vaeros Ltd – Harwell (The Aerospace Corporation)
Although Vaeros Ltd has no ‘facilities’ in the UK, it is able to offer the UK space community access to its full range of expertise and services available in the US.
Viper RF - Durham
In terms of facilities, VIPER RF offers a custom MMIC design service using space-qualified wafer foundries, and component level engineering test service for MMICs.
Vorticity
Vorticity is a centre of excellence for aerospace systems, engineering consultancy and space systems development, specialising in entry, descent and landing systems for space vehicles.