This week I attended the official Ground-Breaking Ceremony at the new Space Park in Leicester. The park is due to provide state-of-the-art research and development facilities as well as a manufacturing plant for low cost satellites.

It will bring together the University’s world leading work on space science with businesses onto one site, with the aim of creating 3,000 high skill, high value jobs. The goal is to be at forefront of development of low-cost satellites which is a vital growth area for the future.

The global space market is set to grow by 80% to £400bn by 2030 and the UK is well placed to make the most of these opportunities, particularly at Leicester’s Space Park.

I am a long-standing champion of the Space Park and I was so proud to join the University, Council and all the other partners who have made this possible. I will continue to press the Government for the investment and research Space Science needs and to support our Space Park’s future stages of development. I will also be working closely with the University and local employers to ensure my constituents benefit from the businesses and jobs the Park will create in years ahead.

You can watch the BBC’s coverage of the ground-breaking here.