The 3,700sqm (40,000 sqft) Pounds 10 million facility will provide cleanrooms, laboratories and testing facilities for state-of-the-art space engineering.

It will house approximately 40 permanent staff and anything up to 100 further project specific staff from across the company at peak test and integration periods.

SSTL CEO, Dr. Matt Perkins, commented; "Our new integration and test facility will play a crucial role in our company's development. Not only will it enable us to integrate the European GNSS payloads for ESA, but it will make it possible for us to integrate and test satellites directly opposite our headquarters improving time to market with first rate intra-company communications."

Due for completion in April 2011, the new facility will be operating at full capacity as soon as it is opened when its secure cleanroom facilities will be used for the testing and integration of 14 navigation payloads for the deployment phase of Europe's future GNSS system.

The new laboratories and cleanrooms will bring the assembly, testing and integration of satellite platforms for SSTL's global customers into a single location, enabling engineers and project managers to participate in day-to-day decision making and mission reviews without leaving the site.

The world-class test halls provide two 125 cubic metre walk-in thermal chambers, a seismic test platform with 16,000kg, 10,000kg and 8,000kg gantry cranes and reinforced floors, providing the greatest possible flexibility for integration and testing of small and larger spacecraft.

Construction is already under way, and the building is on target for opening in April 2011.

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