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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Daniel Keane

British astronaut Tim Peake to open £100m space research hub

Astronaut Tim Peake will open the site in Leicester

(Picture: PA)

British astronaut Tim Peake will open a new £100m space research hub in Leicester.

Space Park Leicester will act as a hub for scientists, researchers and businesses and help to “train, educate and inspire our future generations”.

The project is led by the University of Leicester in partnership with the city council and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP).

Professor Richard Ambrosi, from the university, told the BBC it represented “one of the largest groupings of space-related researchers of any institution in the UK”.

Prof Ambrosi, a professor of space instrumentation and space nuclear power systems, added: “We are incredibly grateful to all of our partners.

“Their support will enable us to develop innovative technologies and methods to transform our understanding of space and our own planet in the future.”

Major Peake is the first British astronaut to walk in space and spent six months in the International Space Station in 2015-16.

He said: “Space Park Leicester will highlight the exciting careers available within the space sector and help to train, educate and inspire our future generations.”

Leicester West MP Liz Kendall told Business Live: “This centre is really important for Leicester, Leicestershire and the country too because there is a huge growth potential in space science and jobs in this sector.

“If we want to grow our country and give everyone a chance of a better life, investing in something like the Space Park is really important.”

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