The South East is set to welcome a space sector gathering for the first time.

Space South Central, a regional hub backed by the UK Space Agency, will stage its Orbit South Central programme in Newhaven on Wednesday 15 July.

The venue for the occasion is Surrey NanoSystems in Newhaven.

Dan Smith, who serves as business development manager at Space South Central, explained that gaps exist in coverage across the nation regarding UK Space Agency regional clusters, and that bringing together forward-thinking companies with possible partners and collaborators remains a key priority reflected in the Orbit South Central series.

He noted that Surrey NanoSystems originated within the Space South Central area, and that this special Orbit South Central gathering would offer participants an unusual opportunity to explore the company’s cutting-edge facilities and learn about their innovative research.

Surrey NanoSystems emerged from the University of Surrey as a spin-out company and has gained recognition for creating Vantablack, among the darkest materials ever produced.

The substance captures as much as 99.965 per cent of visible light and serves applications within the aerospace and automotive sectors.

Those attending the July gathering will have the chance to look around the site and listen to presentations from company representatives covering both Vantablack and the organisation’s recently introduced Ansys Speos functionality.