Published date 7 March 2023

West of England Space Hub ‘Space West’ debuts at Ignite Space

Image credit: National Composites Centre

The West of England Space Hub consortium, launched as ‘Space West’ will be making its debut at the UK Space Agency’s Ignite Space event, taking place on 7th March, at Aerospace Bristol.

Space West was one of eighteen projects to recently receive funding from the UK Space Agency as part of the levelling-up boost for the UK space sector, funding for new growth, which has been led by the West of England Combined Authority

Seizing the opportunity to play a leading role in the future success of the space sector and the wider space-enabled economy, the West of England was successfully named as one of seven new Space Hubs established by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) in November 2020.

The funding awarded in February 2023 will build on the work undertaken in the West of England over the past two years to develop a space strategy and regional space hub. Space West will deliver a cluster development programme of activities to support businesses in the space and adjacent space technology sectors.

With the vision to become an internationally recognised space region, engagement with space stakeholders has identified four ‘Grand Ambitions’, which aim to address key challenges in the sector: Space for Climate, Environment and Net Zero, Space Infrastructure, Safety and Sustainability, Space for National Security and Defence, Space for Smarter Local Government. To realise the vision, Grand Ambitions and unlock market opportunities, actions under four strategic pillars will be delivered across the Space West programme, to grow the space sector in the region and achieve economic, social and environmental benefits.

Reinforced by strong endorsement from industry champions, Space West will continue the momentum for the development of an ambitious and timely regional space strategy. The consortium includes the West of England Combined Authority, National Composites Centre, Centre for Modelling and Simulation, University of Bath, University of Bristol and University of the West of England.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “The West of England space sector is a success story. From the world-leading scientific research on developing state-of-the-art satellite systems to monitor and then address the impacts of the climate emergency here on Planet Earth at Bristol’s CGI UK to work to make nuclear-powered space missions a reality at Rolls-Royce over at their Filton home, we are harnessing the endless possibilities of space to boost all our communities. I’m pleased to have secured a £130,000-plus cash injection into Space West that we have developed so that, with our partners, we can go even further. My West of England Mayoral Authority will continue working to deliver so we can lever even more money to put rocket boosters under these and more exciting West of England space projects to protect our planet, secure our futures and explore our universe.”

Delivered by the UK Space Agency, Ignite Space is an SME-focused conference and exhibition that provides an interactive forum to showcase emerging businesses in the UK space sector, and highlight the support available. The Space West exhibition stand is located in the Cluster Zone, with the National Composites Centre stand located in the Government zone. Organisations interested in engaging with Space West can email; spacewest@nccuk.com

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