There are now two Space Enterprise Laboratories in our region with the opening by NSC member OpTIC of a new Space Enterprise Lab at their centre on the St Asaph Business Park on the 21st February 2024. OpTIC is a business and technology centre owned and operated by Wrexham University. It also specialises in innovative optical systems, product development, engineering and technology consulting.
The Space Enterprise Lab is a facility for users within the UK Space Sector that enables virtual meetings, business sprints and other activities and includes virtual white-boards as well as video conferencing. There are now 14 Space Enterprise Labs in the UK, one of which is based at STFC in Daresbury. Newport in South Wales also hosts a Space Enterprise Lab. The new facility was opened by John Abbott, CEO Satellite Applications Catapult.
Earlier in the day John Abbott and colleagues from the Satellite Applications Catapult met with Caroline Gray, OpTIC Director, Space Wales, local Space companies and regional organisations including Alan Cross, NW Space Cluster Manager and Bob Morris, NSC Chairman to learn more about the activities in the region. Following this meeting Caroline Gray gave a tour of the facilities in OpTIC.
The day ended with a Wales Space Cluster networking meeting.
“It was a very interesting and useful day. First of all it was great to meet John Abbott, whose has only been in the role for a few months, and explain to him why we were formed, what we do and some of the exciting Space work being undertaken in our region. I’m always impressed by the technology and cutting edge equipment here at OpTIC and it’s great that the Satellite Applications team have seen it. The Space Enterprise Lab should be a very useful facility for everyone in the area and I would encourage people to use it. Finally it was good to catch up with several of our members and other members of Space Wales at the networking later” Bob Morris NSC Chairman.
For more information on the Space Enterprise Labs including their locations and for booking, contact sel@spaceenterprise.uk or see www.sa.catapult.org.uk/sel