Member Event: A Journey Through Time and Space

Join us at NETPark’s Space Enterprise Lab to hear one man’s incredible five-year journey from retired RAF veteran to Space Surveillance and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) specialist.

Scaling his business from a “part time” retirement project to a team of 24 all based at NETPark and supported by the North East’s growing cluster of space businesses, he ultimately sold to the Raytheon UK, an arm of the US defence giant, Raytheon Technologies, for an undisclosed sum.  The deal was described as a ‘significant statement of confidence in the health of the British space industry'.

More about our speaker
Ralph “Dinz” Dinsley is a space fanatic, passionate about creating sustainable solutions for the international space sector and providing chances for the human race to explore and develop commercial opportunities in space.

Prior to starting his business, he spent over 32 years in the RAF, half of it in UK military ‘space related roles’ including at RAF Fylingdales, supporting military-grade early warning systems designed to detect ballistic missile attacks, before leaving in 2017. On retirement from the RAF Dinz put his unique military space experience to commercial gain by creating Northern Space and Security (NORSS) and developing an surveillance system to prevent collisions with space debris, the UK’s only commercial SSA company developing this technology on planet earth.

Fast forward five years and through strategic partnerships with the UK Space Agency and Ministry of Defence, NORSS has grown rapidly. In September 2022, the business was acquired by Raytheon UK, one of the largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world, which allowed significant investment into Dinz’s technology helping to propel it to worldwide commercial use.

Having stepped away from NORSS Dinz is now focused on the future development of the space economy with an emphasis on sustainable opportunities. As an integral member of the North East Space Leadership Group, he is helping to shape the Space vision, mission and strategy for the North East and is keen to share his passion, experience and knowledge with Forum members.

Join us to hear this incredible story and learn about a sector which will surely present opportunities for a whole range of businesses from the region to get involved in.

The small print - Member events are open to all members and partners of the Forum.

Two guest places are available to ‘Ultimate’ and ‘Premium’ members. If you are a ‘Core’ member and would like to find out how to upgrade your membership please email info@entrepreneursforum.net or call one of the team on 0191 500 7780.

Food and refreshments will be served during this event. If you have any dietary requirements please let one of the team know at least 24h prior to the event.