Astronaut Tim Peake will open brand new Space Park Leicester

He was the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station.

British astronaut Tim Peake will declare Space Park Leicester officially open at a special ceremony next spring.

The facility is Leicester’s pioneering £100 million research, innovation and teaching hub for space-related companies and researchers.

Tim Peake said: “Teamwork and communication are vital skills for any successful space mission – two key themes that resonate with Space Park Leicester, developed to provide a unique offering of collaborative work between University researchers and the private sector, working side by side to develop technologies and processes to be used in space.

"Space Park Leicester will highlight the exciting careers available within the space sector and help to train, educate and inspire our future generations." 

The Space Park has been developed by the University of Leicester as well as local, national and international partners, to allow scientists, researchers and business minds to work collaboratively. 

Professor Richard Ambrosi, Professor of Space Instrumentation and Space Nuclear Power Systems in the University’s School of Physics and Astronomy, said: “Being able to celebrate our magnificent facility and Leicester’s six decades of experience in space and Earth observation science, as well as one of the largest groupings of space-related researchers of any institution in the UK, together with Britain’s very own astronaut, will mark the start of something special."