Westcott Space Hub opens

Air January 23, 2026

Westcott Space Hub. Credit: Skyports Drone Services.

The official opening of the £20 million Westcott Space Hub in Buckinghamshire represents a significant expansion of the UK’s research and development infrastructure for the space and satellite sectors.

Supported by £5.8 million from the UK Space Agency’s Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund (SCIF) and £15 million in private sector match funding, the 62,000sq ft facility is designed to provide a comprehensive ecosystem for space propulsion, autonomous systems, and robotics. Located at Westcott Venture Park, the hub is expected to create approximately 300 high-skilled roles, including 100 direct positions and 200 within the wider UK supply chain.

For businesses and sub-contractors, the hub offers access to 10,000sq ft of specialised shared testing facilities previously unavailable within the domestic market. Key assets include a clean room, mechanical environmental testing suites, and a propulsion testing vacuum chamber for electric engines – the only facility of its type in the UK and one of the largest globally. These facilities allow small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to conduct full integration and in-vacuum testing for chemical and electric thrusters without the need to relocate operations abroad. The site also includes 42,000sq ft of flexible commercial workspace and a 10,000sq ft training facility, featuring 15 classrooms and a 150-seat auditorium to support the development of a skilled defence and aerospace workforce.

The project is led by URA Thrusters in partnership with the Patrizia Hanover Property Unit Trust, Skyports Drone Services, Westcott Shared Facilities Ltd, and Buckinghamshire Council. URA Thrusters has already utilised the hub to advance two first-of-their-kind propulsion systems: a water electrolysis propulsion system and a low-power (50 W) electrospray thruster. Both technologies are scheduled for flight model delivery and a planned launch from the SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland in 2027. This pipeline of innovation demonstrates the hub’s role in moving technologies from the laboratory to orbital deployment, providing a stable platform for long-term industrial investment.

The Westcott Space Hub is part of a broader government effort to stimulate the UK space economy, with the SCIF awarding over £45.6 million to 13 projects since 2023. By leveraging nearly £90 million in total public and private investment, these initiatives are designed to ensure British innovators can compete globally in the design and manufacture of next-generation space technologies. For professionals in the defence and aerospace supply chains, the Westcott facility serves as a vital anchor for collaboration between industry, academia, and government, fostering the technical resilience required for future national security and commercial space missions.

Image: Westcott Space Hub. Credit: Skyports Drone Services.

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