American defence giant Raytheon has acquired a 22-strong space technology company based in Alnwick, in an undisclosed deal.
The UK arm of the aerospace and defence multinational said it intends to buy Northern Space and Security Ltd, or NORSS, in a move the start-up's founder says will facilitate expansion. RAF veteran Ralph Dinsley founded the firm - which delivers orbital analyst technical services to the MoD - five years ago.
Since then it has grown, and earlier this year secured a contract with UK Space Command worth nearly £1m to develop a new simulator system for testing future British satellite launches. Mr Dinsley said the deal with Raytheon UK would facilitate expansion of the Northumberland firm given access to new international markets.
