UK Space Agency moving HQ to Harwell space cluster

TAMPA, Fla. — The U.K.’s space agency plans to open new headquarters in June at the Harwell Science Campus space cluster in England to strengthen ties with the commercial industry.

UK Space Agency (UKSA) has been headquartered in nearby Swindon since it was born out of the British National Space Centre 14 years ago. It has been sharing this building with the country’s national research funding councils that came together in 2018 to form the UK Research and Innovation agency.

“This is a transformational moment for the UK Space Agency,” UKSA CEO Paul Bate said in a March 24 statement, “responding directly to the feedback that the Agency should be embedded in the sector.”

Stuart Grant, CEO of Harwell Campus, said adding UKSA to the more than 100 organizations already set up at the space cluster would help cement its position as an international space hub.

UKSA plans to maintain its presence in Swindon and London, and open up new offices elsewhere in England, Wales, and Scotland in the coming months.

According to UKSA, this expansion will help it promote regional skills and job opportunities for a domestic space sector worth £17.5 billion ($22.1 billion) per year and growing faster than the rest of the country’s economy.

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