Aerospace has been part of the East Midlands’ story since the dawn of the industry, with Rolls-Royce in Derby supplying aero engines from the First World War onwards.
It would go on to be the birthplace of the famous Merlin engine, an aeronautical landmark that powered the Hurricane and Spitfire fighters in the Second World War. Today it is globally renowned for the design, production and maintenance of some of the most efficient jet engines in the world.
Rolls-Royce is at the heart of an advanced manufacturing supply chain that is at the cutting edge of aerospace engineering, while alongside it industrial research at the region’s universities is examining new materials and techniques for the next generation of aerospace engineering and propulsion.
The East Midlands’ technology horizons go beyond the earth’s atmosphere, with Space Park Leicester, the freeport’s custom site, carrying out world-leading research, supporting innovation and offering skills and education for a growing industry sector.
Space Park Leicester’s unique, integrated ‘end-to-end’ community of industry experts, academics, and students work together, covering everything from innovative upstream engineering through to the downstream capture, analysis and application of space data.
The East Midlands stands as a pivotal hub of aerospace innovation and research, fuelling advancements that will shape the future of the industry both on Earth and beyond.