Surrey Space Centre awarded £400,000 of funding

Space scientists and engineers at the University of Surrey have won £400,000 worth of funding from the UK Space Agency (UKSA).

With a collective income of over £3bn, the money will boost the local space industry in Surrey and Hampshire.

This includes offering training, recruiting dedicated space engineers, and providing facilities to develop and trial space-related technology.

Surrey Space Centre is a leading centre in the UK for space-related business.

The centre, based at the University of Surrey in Guildford, is known for developing small satellites and launching Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL).

The funding is part of a £6.5m national package of investment, and also includes £300,000 for the newly-formed Space South Central.

It is made up of the universities of Portsmouth, Southampton and Surrey, the South Coast Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications, the Enterprise M3 LEP's Space Hub, and more than 125 space-related businesses.

The Science and Technology Council's RAL Chilbolton Advanced Satellite Tracking Radar in Hampshire will also get £485,000 towards upgrades.

Keith Ryden, professor of space engineering and head of the space centre, said the local industry was "always hungry" for skilled space technicians and engineers.

He added the funding "can open the doors" to improved facilities for companies who would otherwise struggle to find the specialised locations and expert personnel needed to develop new space sector products.

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