"The industry said they needed a one-stop-shop where they can do all of their testing for their large complex satellites in one place," says Sarah Beardsley, the director of the UK government-funded Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Space. "This is the result of years of hard work." This facility streamlines satellite testing, addressing the demand for efficiency in satellite preparation before launch.
Construction began in late 2018, after the UK government announced it would invest £99 million in the NSTF to develop "a world-class facility" for testing satellites. Originally set to begin operations in 2020, the project was delayed by Covid, pushing its grand opening to May 2024.
There are four testing areas inside the NSTF. The first you come to when you walk in is the huge vacuum test chamber around which the whole building had to be constructed. "There's no door big enough to fit it through," says Beardsley. Inside this chamber, pumps can lower the pressure to simulate space conditions, ensuring satellite resilience.
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