In a remarkable first for the UK, the European Space Agency (ESA) today opened its first facility at Harwell in Oxfordshire. The facility is expected to be a key element of a much-wider vision for the future of the UK's fast-growing space economy which will see the creation of an International Space Innovation Centre (ISIC) at Harwell, where state-of-the-art publicly-funded scientific facilities will operate alongside industrial R&D. ISIC will bring together academia and industry dedicated to the innovation of space science, research and technology.
An international space facility will be created at Harwell, the government announced today. The new facility is part of a package of initiatives planned to ensure the UK remains at the cutting edge of space technology.