US Space leaders visit Space Park Leicester to strengthen transatlantic collaboration
UK-US partnerships in the commercial space sector, science and innovation were strengthened in Leicester earlier this week (June 24) as part of a four-day mission across the UK’s leading space hubs.
Space Park Leicester, the University of Leicester’s £100 million space research and innovation centre, welcomed a high-level delegation from the United States, as part of a UK-wide programme organised by the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade, in partnership with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
The US delegation is visiting Harwell, Leicester, Durham and Glasgow and is focused on advancing UK-US partnerships in the commercial space sector, science, and innovation. The delegation included senior representatives from some of the most influential companies in the US space industry.
US companies represented in the meeting included Aaron Futch, Executive Vice President of Redwire, and Dr Manwei Chan, Director of International and Science Development at Voyager Space. Ronnie Sheth, CEO of SENEN Group, and Sasha Lightbourne, Managing Director of Cygnus Horizon, contributed perspectives from investment and international aerospace development. The group also included Gravitics, a company building the next generation of modular space station habitats.
Joining them were senior members of the UK Government’s international trade network, including Gaby Bonetti, UK Director of Trade & Investment Florida, and Nick Mangold, Deputy Director for Space and Aerospace at the Department for Business and Trade office in Washington DC. UK Space Agency representatives completed the government contingent.
UK delegates included Neil Stevens, Head of Space at international insurance broker Price Forbes, James Dennis from Amentum, along with Adam Baker and Alex Chandler from MagDrive – which launched the first in-orbit demonstration of its propulsion technology this month.
Ed Chester, a key player in end-to-end satellite missions represented Open Cosmos which has collaborated with the University of Leicester to explore mission planning and payload development for climate monitoring applications.
Space Park Leicester partners and resident organisations included Satellite Applications Catapult, AWE, Airbus, Perpetual Atomics, Meridian Space Command, and Zeeko.
Several of these companies have significantly benefitted from co-location at Space Park Leicester, which provides access to cutting-edge facilities and academic expertise.
One example, Zeeko, internationally renowned for its ultra-precision polishing technologies which have been used to produce optical components for some of the most successful planetary exploration missions ever flown, continues to work with Space Park experts to refine manufacturing processes for space optics and establish new applications for their technology.
Frank McQuade represented the Midlands Space Cluster – a group of universities and space research, development and education facilities based in the region, and for which Space Park Leicester is a key component.
The day began with a welcome from Nick Mangold and Professor Michele Dougherty, Executive Chair, Science & Technology Facilities Council, as well as an overview from Space Park and University of Leicester leadership, presentations from UK and US companies, and extensive networking opportunities.
Delegates also toured the state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities, gaining insights into Leicester’s contribution to space science, industry partnerships, and skills development.
Professor Nigel Bannister, Deputy Director of Space Park Leicester who is also part of the University of Leicester’s School of Physics and Astronomy said: “It is an honour to host such an influential and diverse group of space leaders from the US.
“Space Park Leicester is uniquely positioned to bridge scientific discovery, industry collaboration, and educational excellence – and today’s visit has been a fantastic opportunity to build on our growing transatlantic relationships.”