A largely disused airfield is home to the new Snowdonia Test Centre and will showcase progress on the development of its Space Technology Test Centre (STTC) during an event to be held at the Llanbedr Airfield site on October 8th and 9th. The centre will be fully ready in March 2025.

The event will welcome local students to participate in various STEM and space-based activities. It also presents an opportunity for the team to showcase the important developments that have taken place on the site since it received £820,000 of funding from the UK Space Agency (UKSA) Space Cluster Infrastructure Fund and additional private investment. The Space Centre will feature a flight test range alongside an array of ground-based test equipment and will be offered as an open access facility to space companies and universities across the UK.

The location of the Snowdonia Space Centre grants access to an immediate Special Use Airspace (SUA) around Llanbedr Airfield approved by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to support the ongoing development of novel aerospace systems in the UK. This SUA has been extended to include a larger area over Cardigan Bay on the eastern edge of the Irish Sea. The flight test range will provide a dedicated area for rocket-powered vehicles, near-space scientific flights, microgravity research and trials of re-entry vehicles and payload recovery systems.

The STTC, currently under construction, will comprise a laboratory, featuring a vibration table, aerostructures rig, centrifuge, and a thermal-cycling vacuum chamber in a clean room that will simulate the space environment to test whether the systems can withstand the extreme space conditions. The Technology Centre will also feature a rocket test stand and 12-metre variable inclination rail launcher.

The equipment fit out will take place over the winter months, ahead of the formal completion and inaugural launch demonstration in March. During the event in October, there will be the opportunity to witness a static rocket test and to see how the facilities at the Space Centre are being shaped to provide a focus for space engineering and related jobs in Wales and to support cost-effective testing for the UK launch community as a whole.

Jeremy Howitt, Future Flight Lead, Snowdonia Space Centre, commented: “We are extremely excited to see the Centre taking shape and we are busy preparing for our first launch next year. This spectacular and unique location and integrated, cutting-edge facilities will introduce a new paradigm for UK space companies looking to validate their systems in a cost-effective way. We hope that the Centre will not only be a UK hub for testing, but that it will also provide excellent opportunities for local talent as we will be offering some exciting career paths. We also hope to contribute to the Welsh economy and encourage further investment in a region that has so much to offer and is already home to a blossoming space sector.”

Located at the renowned Llanbedr Airfield in Gwynedd, Wales, the Snowdonia Aerospace Centre is one of Europe’s foremost commercial test centres for next-generation aerospace and future flight systems such as drones, electric aircraft, urban and regional air mobility vehicles, balloons, airships and near-space testing vehicles. Following the award of funding by the UK Space Agency and private investors in 2023, the Centre is in the process of developing a Space Technology Test Centre that will act as a testing hub for the UK Space industry and will create job opportunities in the local area. It is scheduled to open in March 2025.

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