UK Catapult opens Space Enterprise Lab at Adastral Park

A Space Enterprise Lab (SEL) has opened at Adastral Park in Suffolk, the latest addition to the Satellite Applications Catapult’s network of such facilities.

The idea is for the SEL to provide a range of capabilities or services for local space sector companies, enabling them to work together more effectively. Part of a national linked network of 13 such facilities, they offer users a “modern, professional and safe working environment”.

Support for the Lab comes from the Satellite Applications Catapult, BT, New Anglia LEP, Space East, Suffolk County Council and East Suffolk Council.

“We are delighted to be launching the new Space Enterprise Lab at Adastral Park today to fully connect Space East to our space ecosystem,” said Nafeesa Dajda, Director of National Capabilities at the Satellite Applications Catapult.

“The UK’s vibrant space sector is active in every part of the country, and this lab will encourage collaboration between innovative organisations as they reimagine how we use satellite technology and create new applications to solve our biggest global challenges.”

Space East is a UK cluster with more than 100 members that aims to establish the region as a leading player in the UK space sector.

Space Enterprise Lab

Services at the Space Enterprise Lab (SEL) will include support for virtual meetings, business sprints, user engagement sessions, virtual whiteboards and built-in video conferencing, says the Catapult. They will be available for use by everyone within the UK space sector to utilise.

The labs are designed to support the growth of the space sector across the UK providing a secure environment for hybrid working. The idea is that businesses will be better able to collaborate across a range of high-tech areas, bringing ideas and customers together more effectively.

We reported on the opening of the Newport Space Enterprise Lab back in June 2023.

With the addition of SEL Adastral Park, there is a total of 13 Space Enterprise Labs across the country, comprising:

SEL Adastral Park (Suffolk)
SEL Daresbury (Liverpool City Region)
SEL Edinburgh (Midlothian)
SEL Glasgow (Lanarkshire)
SEL Leeds (West Yorkshire)
SEL Exeter (Devon)
SEL Harwell (Oxfordshire)
SEL Leicester (Leicestershire)
SEL Newport (Newport Region)
SEL NETPark (County Durham)
SEL Penryn (Cornwall)
SEL Portsmouth (Hampshire)
SEL Westcott (Buckinghamshire)

Described by the Catapult as the “physical anchors for the UK Space Ecosystem and complementing the Space Enterprise Community platform”, the SELs include free access to resources, virtual demonstrations and technology including: large interactive touch screens and virtual canvas with full connectivity, business support sessions, opportunity development workshops, video conferencing licenses and professional webcams to run high-quality webinars.

There are also virtual reality headsets for demonstrations of space capability (1-on-1 or at events) such as the catapult’s bespoke Virtual Reality Satellite 101 demonstration featuring the launch, deployment and operation of a satellite

You can read more about Space Enterprise Labs on the Satellite Applications Catapult website.