Spur Electron was started in a potting shed in 1982 by Malcolm Snowdon.
Having worked at ERNO (Aerospace) as the Deputy Director of Spacelab (all parts, materials and processes), Malcolm returned to England in 1982 to start Spur Electron as an independent consultant to the global Space industry. The business was initially meant to be a stop gap as Malcolm dreamed of opening a stud farm (hence where the name Spur hails). Whilst the stud farm never happened, a forty-year-old, industry leading, independent business took its place.
The Spacelab project was one of the first projects that used a centralised procurement system, instigated by Malcolm and was the basis of the CPPA (centralised parts procurement agency) model that is now used throughout Europe for large Space projects. Since 1982 Spur Electron has succeeded in being a small part of the Space race, having been involved in many projects from multiple global Space agencies and contributing to projects such as:
Eureka • Rosetta • EarthCARE • Proba II • Proba V • Proba 3 • Solar Orbiter NovaSAR • Kompsat • Exo Mars
Bepi-Colombo • Galileo IOV • Galileo FOC • Alphasat • Mars Rover
In 1992, Spur Electron moved to purpose-built premises, opened by Lars Tedeman, Head of Product Assurance and Safety at ESA/ESTEC.
Since then, Spur Electron has built on it’s impressive reputation working with customers such as:
ESA • KAI (Korea) • CAST (China) • SAST (China • MEISEI (Japan) • Imperial College • Erzia
Weston Aerospace • Com Dev • Qinetiq • SSTL • Rolls-Royce • Airbus, and many, many more.
Sadie Snowdon has now succeeded Malcolm as CEO,
Malcolm Snowdon sadly passed away in October 2021. At Spur Electron, we are proud to continue his legacy of dedication, expertise and passion for the space industry. His greatest legacy lives on through our highly skilled team of Procurement Engineers, Laboratory Technicians and European Space Agency-certified Manufacturing Technicians, who continue to uphold the exceptional standards and values he established.
SPUR Electron is formed on July Ist 1982. Working out of offices in his potting shed! Malcolm Snowdon offered consultancy services to ESA and other space industry contractors.
The company's first contract for support on EEE component procurement, failure investigation and training support was to ERNO in Bremen, Germany for SPACELAB FOP.
Having outgrown the potting shed, the business moves into a newly constructed office suite.
Malcolm Snowdon individually, and SPUR as a company, are recognized for a Team Achievement award for work on the SPACELAB project.
Spur Electron is an
independent SME Space company.
Having provided services since 1982, Spur Electron has established a rich heritage within the space industry. Growing from an initial idea into an SME space company with an international presence, we work with clients across the UK, Europe, Asia and the rest of the world.
In line with the evolving space sector, Spur Electron continues to grow. Our vision is to remain the supplier of choice for our traditional Space and Aerospace markets while developing new opportunities that align with our core values and expertise.
Over the past four decades, Spur Electron has contributed to many of Europe’s major space programmes, including manned space activities such as Spacelab and Space Station Columbus, as well as deep space missions including the Rosetta probe. Our active client base spans more than 15 European countries, alongside partners in India, China, Korea, Japan and South Africa, demonstrating the trusted quality of service we consistently deliver.
Spur Electron remains committed to supporting customers who wish to focus on their core expertise in design and development, confident that Spur Electron will provide the specialist services needed to turn ideas into reliable products. Our capabilities are equally available to major organisations requiring specialist expertise or an extension of their existing capabilities.
As an SME space company with over 44 years of experience, Spur Electron provides specialist EEE component engineering and procurement services, supported by in-house testing within our analytical laboratory and PCB assembly in a Class 7 clean room, compliant with IPC and ESA ECSS standards.
Our mission is to enable our customers to achieve their programme goals by combining Spur Electron’s enthusiasm, commitment and unique heritage.
Our mission is to enable our customers to achieve their programme goals by combining Spur Electron’s enthusiasm, commitment and unique heritage.