The UK’s first “one-stop shop” for large satellite testing has been officially opened and is set to welcome its first customers.

The National Satellite Test Facility (NSTF) at Harwell Campus and operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) RAL Space is set to ensure that spacecraft up to seven tonnes will survive launch and the harsh conditions of space. Mini-bus sized satellites will be shaken violently to simulate rocket launch conditions, and “baked” in the UK’s largest space test chamber to check their resilience to the extreme temperatures they will face in Earth’s orbit and further afield.

The facility was officially opened at a ceremony attended by STFC Executive Chair, Professor Mark Thomson, Director of RAL Space, Dr Sarah Beardsley, and UK Space Agency CEO, Dr Paul Bate as well as representatives from leading companies in the UK space sector. To mark the opening of the facility, the UK Space Agency has been announced as the latest customer to sign a contract to use the NSTF for testing of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Ariel payload. The UK is already playing an important role in this upcoming astronomy mission, which will study the chemistry of around 1000 planets outside our solar system, with RAL Space leading the international payload consortium and the mission science led by University College London (UCL).

As well as helping to further our understanding of the Universe, the NSTF will support science and security missions closer to home. Contracts have already been signed to test ESA’s FLEX Earth observation satellite on behalf of Thales Alenia Space, and with Airbus Defence and Space which will conduct the first tests at the NSTF later this year for SKYNET 6A, the latest satellite in the UK Ministry of Defence’s secure communication programme…Read more