In-Space Missions' expansion to create 200 jobs
Hampshire based In-Space Missions Limited, which designs, builds and operates satellites and plans space missions for clients all over the UK and internationally, has today expanded into state-of-the-art new premises and announced plans to create some 200 new high-skilled jobs.
Image courtesy In‐Space Missions
In‐Space has expanded into dedicated 500m2 offices in Alton, Hampshire (above) in the UK to support its growing team and business needs. The new offices incorporate significantly larger, purpose‐built, satellite cleanrooms allowing In‐Space to manufacture, integrate and test a range of satellites from 1U cubesats up to its in‐house designed smallsats ranging up to 150kg.
In‐Space Missions Limited design, build and operate bespoke physical and digital customer missions, providing a valuable service to customers keen to get their technology in orbit quickly. In‐Space anticipate that they will need to recruit 200 high‐value employees in the coming years to support their impressive growth trajectory.
Doug Liddle, co‐founder and CEO of In‐Space said: “We are delighted to announce our expansion into a bigger, dedicated facility in Alton, which will allow us space to fulfil our already strong and growing customer order book. As we increase in size, it is imperative that we are able to access the best talent in the industry, and Alton’s location is perfect in that regard. We are proud to be a UK company, building up from scratch over the last five years. This is an exciting next step on our journey.”
Science Minister Amanda Solloway said: “The UK space sector is thriving and it is innovative companies like In‐Space Missions who, with government support, are the backbone of that growth by improving access to space.
“The creation of 200 new highly‐skilled jobs and state of the art facilities is fantastic news for Hampshire and delivers on our ambition to drive economic growth across the UK, as we build back better from the pandemic.”
Catherine Mealing‐Jones, Director of Growth for UK Space Agency, said: “There is great opportunity in the UK space sector for ambitious and innovative companies like In‐Space Missions to start up and grow. The UK Space Agency has supported In‐Space Missions in their journey, and I am delighted that they are taking this next step and will be bringing further hi‐tech secure employment, and enabling their customers to access space through their new facility in Alton.”
Damian Hinds, MP for East Hampshire, said: “Having met the team behind In‐Space Missions at their previous base at the Bordon
Innovation Centre, I am delighted to hear both of their continued success and expansion and that they are able to stay in the area, in new larger premises in Alton. Helping to develop space businesses, including new space missions and payload flight opportunities, the business is operating in an exciting field. We’re fortunate to have high tech employers like In‐Space Missions based here in East Hampshire.”
Gill Kneller, Chief Executive of Havant Borough Council and East Hampshire District Council, said: “As a fast‐growing business within a strategically important sector, we are delighted that In‐Space has been able to expand within East Hampshire. This move demonstrates confidence in East Hampshire as a place to do business and a welcome boost to the recovery of the local economy in the long term.”
Besides building dedicated customer missions, In‐Space has developed their own Faraday mission concept offering a satellite rideshare for customers who want to quickly demonstrate their technology by taking a ‘slot’ on board rather than having to build and manage an entire spacecraft and launch for themselves.
Tony Holt, co‐founder and Chief technical officer, for In‐Space, said: “Our next Faraday mission will launch this summer and then there will be a regular launch cadence of both dedicated customer missions and hosted payload missions approximately every six months thereafter. This allows a rapid turnaround to demonstrate new technologies on orbit which has traditionally been difficult to achieve and allows for rapid technology progression.”
Nick Shave, Chair of UK Space, said : "I’m very pleased to see one of UKspace’s SME members ‐ In‐Space ‐ establishing a newly expanded presence in Alton with new high‐value jobs being created. In‐Space is a great example of an innovative UK small satellite company growing fast, along with many other companies across the country specialising in small satellites with specific hubs in Glasgow, Guildford and Harwell. The UK is a world leader in small satellites, and we need to maintain this position in this fast‐growing subsector of the global space market.”
Rob Dunford, Director, Business Delivery at Enterprise M3 LEP, said: “It’s fantastic to see In‐Space Missions expanding in Alton and this is yet another demonstration of how an important company in our Space Cluster is going from strength to strength. The space sector has been identified as a key high‐value sector in our Revive and Renew recovery Action Plan, so to see In‐Space Missions grow and develop this larger space, with increased clean room capacity is both exciting and encouraging.”