Hertfordshire Futures and the University of Hertfordshire join Space East to help further strengthen the region’s credentials in the global space sector.

The announcement was made yesterday, Tuesday 26 November, at Airbus Defence and Space’s UK headquarters in Stevenage as it marked the first year of Community for Space Prosperity, known as CUSP. The industry initiative fosters collaboration across the space ecosystem to connect, inspire and grow the UK’s £18.9bn space sector.

More than 40 different organisations gathered to celebrate and recognise CUSP’s impact in 2024 and hear from the cohort of nine start-up / SME companies who have recently completed the 14-week Airbus Space Accelerator programme.

Space East is the UK’s newest space cluster and brings together leaders from across industry, research and Government in the East of England to develop and champion exciting new opportunities in space technology and unlock the potential for further commercial development. The region is the 3^rd largest in the UK in terms of income generated from space-related activities and it possesses world-class strengths across a range of converging sectors, including the manufacturing of satellites, probes, spacecraft and rovers.

Hertfordshire Futures and the University of Hertfordshire are the latest organisations to join the Space East cluster to help share knowledge, expertise and capabilities. Hertfordshire already has a strong foothold in Space East’s regional map. Research carried out by Hertfordshire Futures, has identified around 60 companies operating in the manufacturing supply chain within a thirty-mile radius of Stevenage.  This includes Airbus; Hempsell Astronautics; Calnex Solutions; MBDA; MDA Space and Parker Meggitt, alongside other businesses, research and academic institutions across the East of England.

The University of Hertfordshire has strong links with space and STEM covering everything from space law to ethics. Its School of Physics, Engineering, & Computer Science (SPECS) recently benefited from a £100m investment in Spectra, its new STEM building, that opened to students in September.

Within Spectra academics have worked on range of space-related fields including communications research with the European Space Agency and data analysis tools to support Low Earth Orbit observation for crop and environment sustainability. It has also worked closely with local industry to develop a pipeline of talent into aerospace programmes.

Hertfordshire Futures also has a long track record of supporting advanced manufacturing and STEM development. The STEM Discovery Centre received £1m funding from Hertfordshire Futures, in a joint partnership with Airbus and North Herts College. Its Generation careers events and extensive community outreach enable young people to find out about career pathways into a range of industries including space.

Professor Mairi Watson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Hertfordshire, said: “Joining Space East, alongside Hertfordshire Futures and our longstanding partners in the space sector, is our way to demonstrate our long-term commitment to the underlying education and research that will support growth in this region and ensure that Hertfordshire continues to be recognised for the innovation and excellence of its space related activity.”

Adrian Hawkins OBE, Chair, Hertfordshire Futures, said: “We were delighted to be here to celebrate the first anniversary of Airbus’s CUSP programme. Together with the University of Hertfordshire and other space partners we look forward to playing a full and active part in the development of the wider space community in the East of England and build on its potential to maximise the global opportunities arising from space. The possibilities are infinite!”

Stuart Catchpole, Cluster Manager, Space East said: “We are excited to welcome Hertfordshire Futures and the University of Hertfordshire to the Space East community, joining existing members Airbus. The region is home to an exciting array of upstream and downstream innovation, activity and technologies. This commitment further cements the strength of the regional space offering as we develop a new East of England Space strategy that unlocks opportunities in the sector and delivers growth for the region.”