To fortify its relationship with the private sector, the UK space agency intends to construct a new headquarters at the Harwell Science Campus space hub in England in June.
From its founding as the UK Space Agency (UKSA) 14 years ago, the agency has had its headquarters in Swindon, which is not far away. In 2018, the national research funding councils of the nation united to form the UK Research and Innovation agency, and since then, it has been sharing this building.
“This is a transformational moment for the UK Space Agency,” UKSA CEO Paul Bate said in a March 24 statement, “responding directly to the feedback that the Agency should be embedded in the sector.”
The CEO of Harwell Campus, Stuart Grant, stated that the space cluster’s standing as a global space hub would be strengthened by including UKSA among its more than 100 established businesses.
In the upcoming months, UKSA intends to continue operating out of Swindon and London while also setting up new offices around England, Wales, and Scotland.
UKSA claims that this growth would assist it in promoting regional skills and employment possibilities for a domestic space industry valued at £17.5 billion ($22.1 billion) annually and expanding at a rate faster than the nation’s overall economy.