To infinity and beyond: New hi-tech £40m space centre will help Britain to conquer the final frontier

Space centre’s opening follows an announcement that the European Space Agency is planning to build a spaceship with the U.S.

A state-of-the-art £40million science centre dedicated to space will be officially opened today.

The International Space Innovation Centre (ISIC) in Harwell, Oxfordshire, is unique in Europe, and will help universities and industry work together to develop and exploit space technology.

Space is seen as a key growth area in the UK where the sector has expanded by 10 per cent in the past decade.

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts, who will conduct the opening ceremony together with the Duke of York, said: ‘The UK space industry is worth an estimated £7.5billion, and to continue this success businesses need the right environment for sustainable growth and innovation.