Space Industry Giants Visit Devon Factory Behind Parachutes Used on Mars and Earth Returns

Heathcoat Fabrics in Tiverton, Devon, welcomed delegates from leading space organisations — including NASA, SpaceX and Blue Origin — for a parachute-engineering conference showcasing the factory's textiles used in spacecraft recovery.

From Historic Roots to Mars Missions

Founded before World War Two, Heathcoat Fabrics has evolved from traditional textile manufacturing to producing specialised parachute materials used to slow spacecraft as they descend to planetary surfaces or return to Earth. The company supplied fabric used in the parachute that helped land NASA's Mars Perseverance rover and also provided textiles used in Blue Origin's April 2025 all-female flight.

Industry Collaboration and Innovation

Peter Hill, director of Heathcoat Fabrics, said the visit was an opportunity to promote Devon as a growing hub for space innovation and to highlight the team's technical expertise.

"We're proud to be putting Devon on the map as a hub for space innovation," Hill said. "This is a chance to showcase the incredible work our team does to support missions that push the boundaries of human achievement."

Hill emphasised the company's long association with parachute fabrics and explained how demand is changing as more commercial operators return payloads from space. He noted an emerging market for recovered microgravity-manufactured pharmaceuticals and other delicate cargo that require reliable, lightweight recovery systems.

Heathcoat also works with defence agencies, including the UK Ministry of Defence and the US Department of Defense, developing chemical-warfare protective clothing and lightweight parachute systems. Hill said the firm would continue to prioritise innovation to meet the needs of an evolving market.

Voices From Visiting Delegates

Rob Sinclair of Blue Origin attended the conference and praised the Devon-made fabric's role in crewed flights. "We've had Gayle King and Katy Perry come back safely to Earth with parachutes using fabric that was made right here in Devon," he said.

Clara O'Farrell of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) described Heathcoat as a key partner: "I had the great fortune to be part of the team that landed the Mars Perseverance rover. We partnered with the team here to manufacture the fabric used to assemble the parachute that successfully landed that rover on Mars. We hope to continue that partnership in future space missions."

The event underlined how longstanding manufacturing expertise, local industry and international space agencies can work together to solve the technical challenges of returning payloads safely to Earth and landing on other worlds.