A commercial astronaut training site and its massive pool are coming to Britain

2025-04-28 07:06:10admin

If you're an astronaut -- or just a lover of outer space -- these are nervous times to be in the UK.

The vote for Britain to leave the European Union has potentially scuppered Britain's chances of scoring big European projects such as Galileo -- the European sat-nav system -- which is largely funded by the EU.

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But fear you not because, in the new Queen's Speech, the government has pledged to increase the UK's share of the global space economy from 6.5% today to 10% by 2030.

And now it wants to transform the country into the place to be for private spaceflight.

Following plans to build a suitable spaceport to launch from UK soil, a project has been announced to build the world's first commercial space and deep sea research and training centre in Bedfordshire.

Developers Blue Abyss said the £120 million ($155 million) facility will be developed at a soon-to-close RAF station.

Designed by Robin Partington, the architect behind London's Gherkin skyscraper, the centre will host the world's biggest 50m deep pool, a hotel and an astronaut training centre.

A "human performance centre" will also enable divers, astronauts, and top athletes to perform at the peak of their potential.

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The company hopes to start building at the end of the year, so that the facility will be operational in 2019.

Plans also include a conference theatre and training rooms, and a 120-bed hotel.

Using a RAF site due to close by 2020 seems like a brilliant idea as astronauts will be able to use some of its equipment.

A good example is the centrifuge base, which is already installed at the site and will be used for its long-arm "human centrifuge" for high-G astronaut training.

This training is done to prevent G-force-induced loss of consciousness at high acceleration rates.

“Having a centrifuge base already there is an important feature because it’s the most expensive and difficult element of the equipment to install," Blue Abyss Chief Executive John Vickers said, adding that the centre's aim was to transform human life science research and performance training in extreme environments.

The new centre is part of a larger regulatory and commerical push to keep and increase Britain's share in the global space industry, as laid out in the Queen's Speech.

One of the most important points revolves around spaceports. As the law stands now, rocket planes and other launch systems wouldn't be able to operate out of the UK.

The new bill wants to "enable scientists to launch from UK soil."

Regulations will discourage "unauthorised access and interference with spacecraft, spaceports and associated infrastructure."

It adds: " A comprehensive and proportionate regulatory framework to manage risk, ensuring that commercial spaceflight in the UK remains safe."

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