Fitted with powerful pumps to maintain vacuum conditions, the facility’s thruster test cell will have three modes of operation: equivalent sea level pressure, medium 20 km altitude equivalent pressure and high altitude of more than 100 km height equivalent pressure.

“Now that the test cell is in place, ESA will be leading commissioning of the site, after which it will be handed over to be run by the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council,” adds Mark. “The facility will become an authority for testing of space mission thrusters across the UK and Europe.”

ESA’s General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) has invested around €4,500 000 in the design, development and building of the facility, in collaboration with the UK Space Agency and UK industrial partners including rocket manufacturer and facility contractor Nammo UK.