Giant satellite test chamber installed at Harwell

The National Satellite Test Facility​ is a government investment to build the UK’s largest set of co-located equipment for testing spacecraft and will be opened by the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) RAL Space in 2022.

Space vehicles and satellites up to seven tonnes in weight will be tested in temperatures from -180C to +100C. The facility will be operated by STFC’s RAL Space, alongside other test equipment at the National Satellite Test Facility, enabling UK businesses to bid competitively for new contracts at the facility, widely regarded as a world leader in space technologies.

Matt Fletcher, head of environmental testing at RAL Space, said: “This new chamber vastly increases our test capacity, allowing much larger space hardware to be tested. It will allow us to test even more of the satellites which serve our everyday life.”

The chamber was manufactured in Italy and weighs nearly 100 tonnes. It was transported in sections on six trucks from Portsmouth harbour to the Harwell campus.

About the Author

Antony David

A chemistry graduate, Antony spent most of his career using and then making equipment for the music and broadcast industries. He was managing director of Oxford-based electronics and software company, Solid State Logic.