UK Space Agency Forming Propulsion Test Facility

Aerial view of Westcott Venture Park. Photo: Westcott Venture Park.

[Via Satellite 07-12-2016] The U.K. Space Agency is investing $5.4 million (4.12 million pounds) in a national propulsion test facility. The planned facility will be based at Westcott in Buckinghamshire, allowing U.K. companies and academia to test and develop space propulsion engines.

Westcott already has a long history of rocketry research for defense and space development. The space agency investment will add new capabilities for the domestic space sector, including the creation of a new vacuum facility at the Westcott propulsion test site. When used together with the existing industry-owned rocket firing test cells, this will allow the simulation of high altitude testing of thrusters up to 2kN. The agency is also upgrading an existing industry-owned test chamber to improve capabilities in the 25N thrust range, and opening the facilities alongside a smaller 1N thruster test chamber at the site, for the community to use.

The U.K.’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), through its Ral Space facility will act as an independent broker for facility access. The European Space Agency (ESA) will advise and oversee the initial detailed design phase before a review a few months from now to move to full implementation. The new facility is expected to allow cost-effective development and testing of engines for interplanetary travel, as well as for the commercial telecommunications satellite market.