‘Leicester Space City’ officially launched at the National Space Centre on Tuesday, 14th March, 2023. The £233m space technology and research cluster aims to support 2500 space-sector jobs and a potential £750 million boost to the local economy.
Space City Leicester aims to be the UK’s definitive cluster for space research, production, manufacturing, and development. The cluster will be made up of the science and innovation hub Space Park Leicester, and the flexible working space and high-tech business incubator facilities at Dock and Dock 2.
Leicester already has a vibrant landscape of world-leading Earth observation (EO) academic and industrial organisations and a well-founded reputation for excellence in EO. NCEO scientists at the University of Leicester have been measuring land surface temperature from space for over three decades and are one of the leading UK institutions in climate science.
The NCEO first purpose-built HQ, at Space Park Leicester, is at the heart of the cluster, which was opened by astronaut Tim Peake in 2022.
Watch Space Park Leicester’s first year – moments to remember and the next phase of development.
The Space City event highlighted some of NCEO’s vital climate research that included a new UK Climate Information Service and a Space Innovation Award for its work on the Forest Alert System, which provides near-real-time deforestation alerts.
President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, Professor Nishan Canagarajah, said: “This is the launchpad for an exciting new chapter in our city’s space history. From its beginnings 60 years ago at the University, we have grown space activity to unlock its huge potential to advance learning, to stimulate inward investment, innovation and growth and to address the challenging problems of our time. Space City Leicester is exciting, it is bold and it is built upon a heritage of success. I would like to thank all our supporters, industrial partners, LLEP and the Leicester City Council for their steadfast commitment to this ambitious endeavour.”
About Space City Leicester
Space City is part of the Loughborough and Leicester Science and Innovation Enterprise Zone. Space Park Leicester is forecast to contribute £750 million per year to the UK space sector over the next decade and is expected to support more than 2500 direct and indirect jobs in the East Midlands.
Research scientists at the University of Leicester have a long and distinguished record of discovery in space science with around 300 academics and researchers working on space and Earth observation, one of the largest groups in the UK. Every single year since 1967 has seen a Leicester-built instrument operating in space and their work today includes x-ray and observational astronomy, radio and space plasma physics (including space weather) and planetary science and instrumentation development.
More information on Space City Leicester and opportunities for Aerospace and Space Businesses.