The National Space Centre, a landmark Millennium Project for the East Midlands, is one of the United Kingdom’s leading visitor attractions devoted to space science and astronomy. It is located in the city of Leicester, England, on a former brownfield site on the north bank of the River Soar. The building, which is designed as an amenity represents a significant environmental improvement both for the immediate neighbourhood and for the city of Leicester as a whole. The site formerly housed a buried storm-water tank, sewage treatment works (donated to the project by Severn Trent Water) and a council tip. The building was designed by Nicholas Grimshaw, and it opened to the public on 30 June 2001.

The centre arose from a partnership between the University of Leicester’s Space Research Centre and local government agencies. The total construction cost was £52m, £26m of which came from a Millennium Commission grant, and the rest from private sector sponsors. It is run as an educational charity, and offers science workshops for school children of all ages. The design comprises two principal elements: a two storey lightweight steel building clad in perforated metal panels and an annexed rocket tower clad in a space-age skin of ETFE cushions. Together, these elements house an exhibition venue of international standing and a new centre of excellence for education and research affiliated to the University of Leicester. The site also houses the prefabricated Challenger Learning Centre, an interactive facility for school children simulating the situation of a space mission.

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