A new £116 million flagship national satellite test facility (NSTF) shows that Oxfordshire is the “beating heart of the UK space sector”.

The facility, based at the Harwell Campus in Didcot, will ensure minibus-sized satellites weighing up to seven tonnes can survive launches and the harsh conditions of space.

Tests will include violently shaking the satellites, exposing them to levels of sound created during a rocket launch and subjecting them to extreme hot or cold temperatures in a vacuum chamber.

The new facility has taken seven years to build and has created 30 new jobs, including several apprenticeship and graduate opportunities.

Dr Sarah Beardsley, director of site operator RAL Space, said: "The fact that the facility is based here at Harwell is really great for Oxfordshire, it shows that we are the beating heart of the UK space sector.

"We have over a hundred companies here at the Harwell space cluster, with the number of jobs growing every day."

The facility will be used by the UK Space Agency for testing the European Space Agency’s Ariel payload, expected to launch in 2029, which will study the chemistry of around 1,000 planets outside our solar system.

The NSTF will also support science and security missions closer to home, with Airbus Defence and Space UK set to be the first customer to conduct tests at the site later this year.

Labour’s candidate to fight the next General Election in Didcot, district councillor Mocky Khan said: “Oxfordshire and especially Harwell Campus is known for its amazing scientific and technological based work and expertise.

“The new satellite testing facility is another example of world class work coming out of Harwell.

“I am pleased that it is generating new jobs, apprenticeships and providing an exciting opportunity for graduates and our young people.”

The £116 million investment is intended to strengthen the UK’s position as a world-leading satellite manufacturer and help deliver the National Space Strategy published in 2021.

Officially opened at a ceremony on Tuesday, the NSTF is operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) which is part of public funder UK Research and Innovation.

A space test chamber seven metres in diameter, the largest in the country, will be used to simulate the vacuum and temperature conditions of space and can reach temperatures as low as or as minus 180C or as high as 130C.

The facility also features an impressive electromagnetic compatibility and antenna test chamber where satellites’ communications systems can be tested securely.

Andrew Griffith MP, minister for space at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said: “The opening of the new National Satellite Test Facility is a significant milestone for the UK’s growing space sector that will offer the tools necessary to innovate for years to come in a competitive global market.

“By simulating the tough conditions of launch and orbit through rigorous testing, it will increase the resilience of our satellite technology to drive forward advances in navigation, weather forecasting and more – positioning our sector at the forefront of pioneering new space technologies.”

Professor Mark Thomson, executive chair of STFC, said: “UK satellite manufacturers will now have a state-of-the-art one-stop test facility on their doorstep with the capability to test very large satellites.

“The NSTF will also enable the UK to support major international efforts in fields including space exploration and Earth observation."

Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said: “Once a satellite is in orbit, the options are limited if something goes wrong – that's why having world-class facilities that can simulate the harsh conditions of launching and surviving in space is so important.”