Surrey Satellite Technology opens new optical cleanroom

Published: 28-Jan-2025

Surrey Satellite Technology has officially opened its new Research and Development Imaging Cleanroom at the company’s headquarters in Guildford

Surrey Satellite Technology, a UK-based aerospace company, has officially opened its new Research and Development Imaging Cleanroom at its headquarters in Guildford, UK.

The outcome guarantees a highly clean environment within which the SSTL Engineering teams can assemble, and test complex optical payloads.

Clean Room Construction were chosen for the design and build of this new facility. The UK-based cleanroom construction expert  designs, builds, upgrades and services cleanrooms and containment facilities across many industries. Recently the company was part of the creation of a cell and gene therapy facility in Bristol for eXmoor Pharma.

The new R&D facility

This new facility will play a pivotal role in advancing the company’s capabilities in optical imaging, an essential component of its Earth observation satellite missions.

This new facility will play a pivotal role in advancing the company’s capabilities in optical imaging

The Imaging Cleanroom is now fully operational and serves as the new home for Surrey Satellite Technology’s Optical Payloads Team.

This state-of-the-art facility was established with the support of a £250,000 grant awarded by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) in March 2024, as part of the Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund (SCIF).

This funding, matched by Surrey Satellite Technology with its own internal resources, highlights the UK Government’s continued commitment to strengthening the nation’s space infrastructure and fostering innovation in satellite technology.

The new cleanroom, tailored to meet the stringent environmental conditions required for developing and testing sophisticated optical imagers, will enhance Surrey Satellite Technology’s capacity to produce leading-edge imaging solutions. 

This new facility will play a pivotal role in advancing the company’s capabilities in optical imaging

Optical imagers are critical components of Surrey Satellite Technology’s  Earth observation satellites, providing the precise and reliable data essential for applications such as environmental monitoring, disaster management, and urban planning.

Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said: “The opening of this state-of-the-art Optical Cleanroom at Surrey Satellite Technology is a testament to the UK's strengths in Earth observation.”

This facility will play a crucial role in delivering high-performance optical imagers that support a wide range of advanced missions and applications, from monitoring floods and wildfires to delivering intelligence and reconnaissance services. 

“Made possible through our Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund, we are building our national capabilities and developing new satellite technologies that deliver the benefits of space back to Earth.”

Surrey Satellite Technology has been busy in the last few years. For a previous project two years ago, Monmouth Scientific, a UK-based Scientific equipment supplier, provided an aluminium modular cleanroom.

 

Top image: UK Space Agency CEO Dr. Paul Bate (centre) is flanked by SSTL Managing Dircetor Andrew Cawthorne (left) and SSTL Chairman Sir Martin Sweeting (right).

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