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Spaceport Cornwall: The ultimate guide to the UK's first spaceport

With the small satellite industry booming, countries around the world are looking at sovereign routes to space.

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Spaceport Cornwall missions

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Spaceport Cornwall is an operational spaceport located in the region of Cornwall, southwest England. 

Spaceport Cornwall provides a take-off point for air-launch providers such as Virgin Orbit and potentially a landing site for spaceplanes and does not offer vertical launch services. Work began on Spaceport Cornwall in 2014 . In November 2022 , it became the first facility in the United Kingdom ever to be granted a spaceport license.

The spaceport is part of Cornwall Airport Newquay, a former Royal Air Force military airport that became a civil airport in 2008 . As such, the relatively small airport is home to a large runway that is just over 9,000 ft long and capable of accommodating military aircraft and large passenger airliners. 

Related: Virgin Orbit's first UK launch from Spaceport Cornwall (photos)

Melissa Thorpe, head of Spaceport Cornwall, told Space.com in January 2023 that the spaceport expected to employ 150 staff "in direct relation to launch or space" and a total of 240 in the supply chain. 

Why was Cornwall selected for a spaceport?

There are several reasons why Newquay Airport Cornwall was selected as a spaceport location, one of which is the aforementioned large runway. Access to the Atlantic Ocean via the nearby Cornish coast and a lack of residential development are also positive factors. 

Matthew Archer, Commercial Space Director of the UK Space Agency, told Space.com at the Start Me Up launch in January that even though air launches take place at tens of thousands of feet above the ground, they cannot be carried out in populated areas. "That's why you don't see every airport trying to become a spaceport," he said. "Here, you've got one of the longest runways in the UK at about 10,000 feet — most others aren't that length. So your actual choice, once you move away from military airports, is relatively narrow. That's why Cornwall is such a great location."

The process of building a spaceport within Newquay Airport Cornwall largely involved making use of existing facilities, though two new facilities were constructed: the Space Systems Integration Facility and the Space System Operations Facility. Both will be used by businesses for purposes such as satellite manufacturing and environmental intelligence.

What did it take to establish Spaceport Cornwall?

Melissa Thorpe: Facilities-wise, it didn't take much. We could have launched from day one without really having to do anything. But what we did was future-proof the site and take advantage of the opportunities of launch to create a more sustainable business model by looking at building facilities that can be used by Virgin, but when Virgin are not here can also be used by other businesses as well. So we did things like build our satellite integration facility, which Virgin uses to integrate all the payloads, but in the future we have other people coming in to use it which is great from a revenue generation point of view."

Melissa Thorpe is the head of Spaceport Cornwall, the UK's first spaceport.  

Setting up the spaceport also involved regulatory challenges. The UK's Civil Aviation Authority, the UK's space regulator, granted Spaceport Cornwall its UK spaceport license on November 16, 2022, declaring that the spaceport "met appropriate safety, security, environment and other aspects".

"From a regulatory perspective, it's the first time we've ever launched in the UK," said Thorpe. "We're the first licensed spaceport and we are kind of the guinea pig for that process, so we all were learning as we went along."

Spaceport Cornwall describes its ongoing development cost as just over £20 million ($24.7 million).

The first launch from the facility took place on January 9, 2023, when Virgin Orbit attempted its sixth mission, Start Me Up, which was intended to be the first orbital space launch from the UK. The launch was initially successful but the mission ultimately failed due to Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket ending its second-stage burn prematurely, preventing it from reaching orbit. Archer said the launch project "succeeded in creating a horizontal launch capability at Spaceport Cornwall'' regardless.

Related: Failed Virgin Orbit launch leaves open opportunity for UK as a space 'underdog'

Shortly after the mission, Virgin Orbit said in a statement it was anticipating a return to Spaceport Cornwall for additional launches again, possibly before the end of the year.

Other space companies are also expected to use Spaceport Cornwall in the near term. This includes US-based Sierra Space, which is developing a reusable spaceplane capable of carrying crew and cargo to and from low Earth orbit and the International Space Station . "We have a memorandum of understanding with Sierra Space to act as a landing site for their future missions," Thorpe told Space.com. "We have another operator which we haven't announced yet but are hoping to in the next few months."

Missions that launch from Spaceport Cornwall in the near term will likely be with the purpose of deploying small satellites into Earth orbit. As of January 2023, there were no plans for Spaceport Cornwall to launch any space tourism missions. Spaceport Cornwall is expected to host launches twice a year until at least 2028 and is limited to 12 launches per year by the regional branch of government, Cornwall Council.

Facts about Cornwall and its historic space links

Cornwall has a couple of historic links to space. It was the birthplace of the British mathematician and astronomer John Couch Adams (1819 - 1892), who is known for being one of the astronomers who independently predicted the existence of the planet Neptune , based on observed irregularities in the orbit of Uranus . 

It is also home to the Goonhilly Earth Station, a vast radio communications hub used for relaying signals from satellites and the world's first privately-owned deep-space communications network.

Historically the station has been at the forefront of space communications technology. In 1962 , Goonhilly's Aerial-1 dish received the first transatlantic TV signal from the earliest communications satellite Telstar. In 1969, the station was used to broadcast the Apollo 11 moon landing to a global audience of around 600 million people.

Goonhilly Earth Station is still in use today and recently tracked the path of NASA's Artemis 1 moon rocket in November 2022 — providing the UK's only tracking support for the mission. It is part of the Spaceport Cornwall consortium.

Outside of space activities, Cornwall is known as one of the six Celtic nations in Europe. It is one of the UK's most popular tourist hotspots owing to its culture, landscape, mild climate, and extensive coastlines. It is also one of the most popular regions in the country for surfing. Culinarily, Cornwall is known for the Cornish pasty and, in a return to the theme of space, stargazy pie — a unique dish that features the heads of whole pilchards protruding upwards from a pastry crust, giving the impression that the fish are looking towards the stars .

To learn more about Spaceport Cornwall's operations visit the spaceport's official website . You can also learn about Cornwall Airport Newquay , where Spaceport Cornwall is based, here . And to find out more about the UK's space operations , visit the official government site of the UK Space Agency.

Bibliography

Spaceport Cornwall receives first-ever UK spaceport licence, CAA.co.uk [Accessed 1/26/23] [ https://www.caa.co.uk/news/spaceport-cornwall-receives-first-ever-uk-spaceport-licence/ ]

EGHQ — Cornwall Newquay, acukwik.com [Accessed 1/26/23] [ https://acukwik.com/Airport-Info/EGHQ ]

John Couch Adams, NASA.gov [Accessed 1/26/23] [ https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level2/adams.html ]

Virgin Orbit SEC form 8-K, January 12, 2023 [ 8-K - 01/12/2023 - Virgin Orbit Holdings, Inc. ]

Frequently Asked Questions, SpaceportCornwall.com [Accessed 1/26/23] [ https://spaceportcornwall.com/faqs/ ]

Becoming the UK's first Licensed Spaceport: the next step on the Road to Net Zero, SpaceportCornwall.com [Accessed 1/26/23] [ https://spaceportcornwall.com/becoming-the-uks-first-licensed-spaceport-the-next-step-on-the-road-to-net-zero/ ]

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Ed Browne is a freelance journalist based in the UK. Formerly a science reporter for Newsweek, he has a Bachelor's in journalism in addition to a diploma in multimedia journalism from the National Council for the Training of Journalists. 

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Our Consortium consists of Virgin Orbit, Goonhilly Earth Station and Cornwall Council, and we value the input and connection with the businesses and people in Cornwall, and around the world. Our outreach programme is the reason we get out of bed every morning – aiming to inspire and connect with schoolchildren across the country.

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Spaceport Cornwall is Europe’s future air and space solution. We provide flexible, low cost, resilient and safe access to space and support aerospace innovation.

The horizontal launch site is working with future operators including Sierra Space and Space Engine Systems who are developing innovative horizontal launch systems and are looking to use the spaceport for system development and UK return missions.

Spaceport Cornwall is in discussions with an established US horizontal launch provider regarding the provision of launch services from the UK and hope to announce an agreement in early 2024 to support launches from mid-2025.

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One of the longest runways in the UK, uncongested airspace, and direct access to the sea creates a world class operational environment for orbital, sub-orbital, micro-gravity and experimental future flight technologies.

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With daily flights to London, Manchester and other major UK and European cities, great road access, and Superfast Broadband as standard, Spaceport Cornwall is a modern launch location that makes doing business easy.

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Where is Spaceport Cornwall? Newquay location for Virgin Orbit UK launch explained, and how to watch live

The launch is taking place at spaceport cornwall, which is situated within newquay airport.

The UK’s first ever orbital space launch is due to take place today, taking off from a runway in Cornwall .

Cosmic Girl – a modified Boeing 747 that was once a passenger plane – will carry the rocket into space.

Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit company is behind the launch.

Here’s exactly where the launch is happens, and everything else you need to know about it.

Where is the Cornwall rocket launch happening?

The launch is taking place at Spaceport Cornwall, which is situated within Newquay Airport.

Newquay Airport was chosen as it has one the longest runways of a regional airport in the UK due to its RAF base, and has direct access to a flight path over the Atlantic.

There is also a low civilian population within the surrounding area compared to many other airports in the UK.

Goonhilly Earth Station, about 35 miles south-west of the spaceport, is already an internationally-known site that has been important within the satellite communications industry for more than 50 years.

Dhara Patel, a space expert from the National Space Agency, told the BBC this was key to Cornwall being chosen as the site for the launch.

More on Space Science

“What made Spaceport Cornwall a really attractive place is that it is in the South West which has a really lively space cluster,” he said. “It’s full of businesses, research centres, manufacturing facilities.

“Things like transport infrastructure are in place – you want to be well connected but you want to be remote enough that you are not around densely populated areas – if there was a launch failure you wouldn’t want people near there.”

Ths spaceport is projected to employ 50 people in the next three years.

What time is the rocket launch?

The launch window is currently set to open at 10.16pm.

A select number of people will be able to watch live in person at the launch site, after tickets for the historic event were snapped up.

However, those who are not lucky enough to be able to attend can watch a live stream which will be broadcast on Virgin Orbit’s YouTube channel here .

If the launch cannot take place tonight, there are back-up dates planned in mid-January.

What is the purpose of the launch?

Once Cosmic Girl has flown some 35,000ft (10,700m) high over the Atlantic, it will release a LauncherOne rocket.

This will send seven satellites into orbit, before the modified plane returns to base by around midnight.

These will be the first satellites launched into space from Europe. In the past, satellites produced in the UK have had to be sent to foreign spaceports to make their journey into space.

It was originally hoped the launch could take place before Christmas but due to technical and regulatory issues it had to be pushed into 2023.

Ian Annett, deputy CEO at the UK Space Agency, said: “We are entering a new era for space in the UK with the first ever satellite launch from UK soil and from Europe.

More on NASA

“This is a significant landmark for the nation, the UK Space Agency, and for all those who have worked so hard over many years to make our ambitions to create a commercial space launch capability a reality.

“I look forward to seeing more launches from other UK spaceports over the next year, putting us firmly on the map as Europe’s leading destination for commercial small satellite launch.”

Melissa Thorpe, head of Spaceport Cornwall, said: “This is a phenomenal moment with incredible international collaboration.

“Virgin Orbit, the UK Space Agency and all of our partners are breaking new ground to transform access to space across the world from right here in Cornwall. My team at Spaceport Cornwall have worked so hard to get this far. We wish everyone the best of luck as the launch window opens, we are ready.”

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Countdown to launch: British-built satellite completes line-up for first launch from Spaceport Cornwall

A research satellite from RHEA Group, built by Open Cosmos, completes the line-up of satellites set to launch from Spaceport Cornwall this year.

DOVER Pathfinder satellite under construction with structure and solar panels. © Open Cosmos.

• Named ‘DOVER’, RHEA Group’s first satellite will fly into space on Virgin Orbit’s maiden UK launch, sharing a ride with five additional satellite missions, including the first ever satellite to be built in Wales.
• Today’s announcement confirms the UK is on track to become the first country in Europe to launch satellites into space from home soil this year, a key ambition of the Government’s National Space Strategy.

A new research satellite from international engineering firm Rhea Group, built in Oxfordshire by space company Open Cosmos, will be launched from the UK later this year.

Virgin Orbit will launch the ‘DOVER’ pathfinder satellite from Spaceport Cornwall. The satellite will transmit an innovative new signal, specially designed by engineers at RHEA, to provide data from space that can be used on the ground to obtain a position or an accurate time. It will broadcast these new signals so that their performance can be tested as part of the research project.

This new satellite completes the line-up for the UK’s first launch, which also includes satellites from organisations such as Space Forge, the Satellite Applications Catapult and Horizon Technologies, as well as the Prometheus-2 research demonstration satellites. Prometheus-2 was co-funded and designed with Airbus Defence and Space and assembled by In-Space Missions, as part of a collaboration between the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and international partners, including the US National Reconnaissance Office.

The UK is poised to become the first country in Europe to launch satellites into orbit this year from home soil, a key ambition of the UK Government’s National Space Strategy. Spaceport Cornwall is at the heart of a growing aerospace and space cluster and will create 150 jobs in the local area.

The development of a commercial launch capability will give the UK access to the growing global launch market, delivering a further boost to the thriving space and satellite sector, which is already home to more than 47,000 jobs across the country and supports billions of pounds of wider economic activity.

From left, Rebecca Evernden, Director of Space at BEIS, Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, British ESA astronaut Tim Peake, and Lord Willetts, Chair of the UK Space Agency on the UK Space Pavillion at the Farnborough International Airshow today (18 July 2022)

Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said:

The countdown is on to the first satellite launch from Spaceport Cornwall, with a full complement of satellites confirmed by Virgin Orbit for what promises to be a landmark moment for our thriving space sector. It’s fantastic that RHEA Group’s DOVER satellite is joining the launch, which showcases both our domestic satellite manufacturing expertise and the international interest in the UK as a launch destination. The ability to launch satellites from UK soil will support our work to catalyse investment into the space sector, deliver new capabilities and champion the incredible role of space to benefit life on Earth.

The ‘DOVER’ pathfinder satellite

RHEA Group’s Dover satellite, the company’s first, was co-funded by the UK Space Agency’s investment in the European Space Agency’s Navigation Innovation and Support Programme (NAVISP). It’s named after the Dover Strait, where the English Channel is narrowest and shipping lanes are busiest, as this is a key location for testing new techniques and technologies for Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT).

The satellite is a strong example of UK expertise in PNT technology, which underpins vast swathes of economic activity, as well as small satellite manufacturing, with Open Cosmos building the satellite at the Harwell Space Cluster, Oxfordshire.

Emma Jones, RHEA’s UK Business Director, said:

This is a momentous event for RHEA. This year we are celebrating our 30th anniversary and it is a great milestone to launch our first ever satellite in the same year. The UK is in the very desirable position of establishing a number of spaceports, and it is thrilling to have a RHEA satellite on board the first launch to take off from UK soil.

Florian Deconinck, Vice President of Institutional Partnerships & Future Missions at Open Cosmos, said:

DOVER is a great example of Open Cosmos’ ability to design, manufacture, launch and operate satellites in a responsive manner. The timescales for this future mission are impressively aggressive: 8 months from the moment of first contact with RHEA to getting an operating satellite in orbit. This is the result of a close partnership between Open Cosmos and RHEA, the very reactive support from UK Space Agency and ESA-NAVISP teams, and the possibility of delivering all the phases from a single location, the UK.

During the launch mission, a Virgin Orbit 747 will take off from the runway at Spaceport Cornwall, carrying a rocket beneath its wing. The plane will fly out over the ocean before blasting the rocket into space, delivering satellites into orbit around the Earth. In the cockpit will be Squadron Leader Mathew ‘Stanny’ Stannard, an RAF Test Pilot serving on industrial placement as one of Virgin Orbit’s pilots.

This will be the first satellite launch from UK soil and Virgin Orbit’s first mission outside the US. It follows the successful ‘Straight Up’ mission, that delivered seven satellites into space from Mojave in California on Saturday 2nd July.

Dan Hart, CEO of Virgin Orbit, said:

We’re very pleased to have been selected by RHEA Group and Open Cosmos for their first joint mission. The DOVER satellite, designed and built in the UK by Open Cosmos, co-funded by the European Space Agency, and now will be launched from Cornwall, is a great example of the power that comes with the infusion of space collaboration taking place across the globe. The work RHEA will do with their DOVER satellite will help to assure reliable navigation, which touches all of us and can be vital for everything from environmentally efficient shipping to national security.

Melissa Thorpe, Head of Spaceport Cornwall, said:

We’re thrilled to have ‘DOVER’ complete the line-up of satellites onboard Virgin Orbit’s first launch from Cornwall. Each payload highlights the innovation happening within the small satellite industry, and how it can benefit life on earth, while showcasing the growing collaboration between UK Space and international partners. This is another great moment in the countdown to launch from Cornwall.

UK spaceflight programme

With funding first announced at the Farnborough International Airshow in 2018, the UK Space Agency is supporting the development of commercial and sustainable satellite launch operations across the UK, working with a range of partners including Spaceport Cornwall and Virgin Orbit, Space Hub Sutherland and Orbex, and SaxaVord Spaceport, Lockheed Martin and ABL Space Systems.

The space sector has shown remarkable resilience in the face of global challenges such as the pandemic, with more than 1,700 satellites launched worldwide in 2021 alone. These provide vital technologies used every day by people and businesses, including communications, Earth observation and navigation services.

The UK has world-leading expertise in satellite design, manufacturing, data and applications but, until now, has not been able to launch them from home soil.

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Jul 20th, 2024 | Blog

STEM Education Lands at Spaceport Cornwall

• UKSA’s 72ft replica rocket has returned to Spaceport Cornwall after successful ‘Space For Everyone’ UK Tour last summer
• The rocket will form part of Spaceport Cornwall’s free space-based exhibition.
• Schools are invited to book educational tours for children to see the rocket and learn about careers in space

The 72ft replica rocket that toured the UK last summer is now back at Spaceport Cornwall, Newquay, where it will serve as a valuable learning tool to engage and educate local schoolchildren and the wider community in the benefits and opportunities in space and STEM.

The rocket, a prominent feature in the UK Space Agency’s Space for Everyone tour, which attracted over 100,000 visitors in 13 cities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland between June-October 2023, is now housed at Spaceport Cornwall, thanks to the UK Space Agency. 

Ahead of Space Exploration Day on Saturday 20th July, which commemorates the historic moon landing and man’s first steps on the moon in 1969, Spaceport Cornwall have announced that the rocket will form part of a free space-based exhibition that aims to inspire future generations of space enthusiasts and highlight the varied career paths available within Cornwall’s thriving STEM sector.

The team at Spaceport Cornwall are now looking forward to welcoming school children to join them on educational tours where they’ll be able to get close to the rocket and learn about the historic horizontal launch that took place in January 2023, and what the future looks like for the spaceport, and space in Cornwall.

The tours will last 1.5 hours and include visits to the spaceport’s clean rooms and an exploration of satellite technology, where students will learn what satellites are used for and how we get them into space, in addition to finding out about space careers and how art and creativity fits into the equation. 

Fritha Durham, Outreach and Education Coordinator at Spaceport Cornwall : “ There is so much potential and opportunity in Cornwall right now for young people to have rewarding careers within the space industry and wider STEM sectors without having to move out of the county. The rocket is a fantastic asset that will allow us to inspire and engage young minds in the world of STEM .”

Matt Archer, Director of Launch at the UK Space Agency, said: “The display of the replica rocket at Spaceport Cornwall will again support outreach to the local community and inspire the next generation of professionals for the South West Space Cluster. Through initiatives like the ‘Space For Everyone’ tour we aim to inspire a future workforce equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to drive innovation and growth in the UK space industry.”