Skip to content

a visit from major tim peake marks new stage of space innovation at harwell campus

British astronaut Tim Peake was the guest of honour yesterday when Harwell Campus celebrated their thriving life sciences sector with the Accelerating Healthcare event, and the opening of its Human Spaceflight Capitalisation Office (HUSCO).

Tasked with improving communication, co-ordination and collaboration between academic and trade interests, HUSCO aims to secure 10% of the global space market for UK players by 2030.

It is the newest arrival to Harwell Campus, which boasts a significant space and life sciences community – the UK Space Agency and the UK office for the European Space Agency are already based at the campus.

The day’s event explored how advancements in knowledge of space and the physical world can inform healthcare innovation. This featured a panel discussion with Professor Sir John Bell of Oxford University and George Freeman MP, chair of The Prime Minister’s Policy Board.

In January, Major Peake became the first UK astronaut to travel into space since 1991, and undertook the first ever spacewalk by a UK astronaut. Speaking at the launch, he shared stories about his 186-day mission on the International Space Station and discussed the life science experiments he undertook on board.

The event demonstrated Harwell Campus’s position at the centre of the British space and life sciences industries, and its leading role in sparking innovation in the worlds of space and health tech.

Access your free chapter now

Access your free chapter now

Chapter 1 outlines the concept of mission and how the breakthrough brands of today have succeeded by building a mission that inspires belief, generates a following and instils a purpose beyond profit.