New technology collaboration brings AWE to Space Park Leicester
Space Park Leicester is establishing a new collaboration with AWE which will explore manufacturing development, testing and qualification methods to support future space science and exploration missions. The collaboration will bring additional employment opportunities to Leicester.
The two organisations have committed to work together on projects enabling space exploration technologies, in addition to designing new space missions to the most challenging regions of the solar system. The collaboration will drive innovation in advanced environmental testing and analysis methods, and help to grow the UK supply chain for low-volume high-quality components.
The new partnership builds on two decades of joint working between scientists at both organisations.
Back in 2003, AWE was a strategic partner for the qualification campaign of the Beagle 2 lander programme, and more recently provided vibration test facilities for the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) aboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), two missions with leading roles for the University of Leicester.
Beagle 2 (left) and MIRI (right) were extensively tested on Earth before being launched into space.
The collaboration will see Space Park Leicester act as a facilitator, providing a base for AWE engineers and scientists to make research facilities accessible to a wide range of academics and industry partners for wider societal and economic impact.
The collaboration is expected to grow Space Park Leicester’s influence as a space innovation cluster, boosting the region’s thriving space economy and attracting big players to the sector. It is also intended to boost the STEM skill base in Leicester and the wider East Midlands region through the recruitment and retention of talent, and fostering partnerships between AWE, academia and industry.
AWE’s mission has been a critical component of the UK’s security and defence infrastructure for over 70 years. AWE’s 3,000-plus engineering and scientific staff have skills and experience found nowhere else in the UK.
Professor Richard Ambrosi, Space Park Leicester Executive Director, said: “Space Park Leicester launched with the aim of fostering scientific collaborations in the interest of space science and exploration. The focus is on opportunities that break new ground and bring new partners into the civil space domain. AWE’s team working alongside our researchers and established partners will unlock new scientific insights and establish a fertile environment for the creation of high-tech jobs and supercharge the already flourishing space industry in our region.
“AWE will be a vital collaborator in our work on the European Space Agency’s ENDURE programme to develop advanced radioisotope power technologies for space exploration. In addition, we will be exploring and developing new testing and qualification methods that will support future space science and exploration missions. We are looking forward to exploring the exciting opportunities that lay on the horizon for this partnership.”
Mandy Savage, AWE Executive Director Engineering, said:
“We are pleased and excited to deepen our partnership with the University of Leicester, and we look forward to working together on novel and cutting-edge space exploration technologies. By driving forward innovation in this sector we can grow the UK supply chain, as well as creating more opportunities to train and develop STEM talent.
“We want to continue developing our relationships with leading industrial and academic partners to build resilience and strengthen capabilities across UK industry in support of our mission. This collaboration with Space Park Leicester will do exactly that.”
Main photo (L-R): Richard Ambrosi, Executive Director of Space Park Leicester and Professor of Space Instrumentation and Space Nuclear Power Systems, Aled Richings, Alun Lewis, Mohsin Nurbhai (all AWE), Professor Sarah Davies, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Leicester.