Snowdonia Space Centre will play host to a two-day event to be held on 8-9 October, during World Space Week. The event will bring together pupils from five local high schools to preview the development of the UK Space Agency-funded Space Technology Test Centre (STTC).
On both days, the event will feature the same agenda, showcasing work-to-date on the development of the Snowdonia Space Centre which includes the building of a Space Technology Test Laboratory, Clean Room, Rocket Test Stand and 12m Variable-Inclination Rail Launcher. This will be followed by a Welsh-language ‘Space Camp’ for one hundred and forty Year 8 students from local schools in Meirionnydd that will include interactive space science activities with the Xplore! Discover Science team from Wrexham University who will bring their mobile planetarium. Thompson STEM Engagement, a not-for-profit company aiming to inspire passion for STEM subjects in both English and Welsh will also perform their ‘Crazy Rockets’ show that has been lauded at previous Eisteddfods.
The event will culminate with a mass launch of model rockets. Local dignitaries and representatives from the UK space community are also expected to attend.
The Snowdonia Space Centre is scheduled for completion next year, with a launch demonstration in March. However, during the October event, there will be an opportunity to view a static rocket test and to see first-hand how the facilities at the Centre are being developed to provide a focus for space engineering and related careers in Wales and to support cost-effective launch testing for the entire UK launch community.
Jeremy Howitt of Space Centre Snowdonia commented, “We are thrilled to be hosting this event both from a local and a nationwide perspective. It will provide local high school children with a unique opportunity to experience the Centre for themselves and to see the complex testing and evaluation that is involved in getting a rocket into space. Who knows, it may inspire some budding engineers who can see their future careers in the UK space industry. Furthermore, it gives everyone who comes along the chance to see how our Space Centre is taking shape and the facilities that we can provide, not just for Wales, but for the entire UK space sector and why Snowdonia is such an ideal location. These test facilities will be state-of-the-art and enable companies across the UK to develop, test and qualify space technology and products in advance of their commercialisation.”
Rosie Cane, Cluster Development Manager at Space Wales said, “Snowdonia Space Centre plays an integral role in the Welsh Space Cluster, supporting industry and academia across the UK space ecosystem. With a focus on hands-on STEM experience and training, current developments are set to significantly enhance the skills of the next generation of space sector professionals, boosting opportunities and expertise within Wales, and extending their impact across the wider UK.”
The event will take place from 10.00 until 14.00 over both 8th and 9th October.
About Snowdonia Space Centre
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.
