Cornwall ready for lift-off as Europe’s first satellite launch set to make space history ➡️ The Spaceport at Newquay’s airport is preparing for the launch of its first satellites into space tonight
The Spaceport at Newquay’s airport is preparing for the launch of its first satellites into space tonight
Melissa Thorpe, head of Spaceport Cornwall, said she had “put up with people laughing at the prospect of space launches from Newquay for years”, but now “we’re sitting here fully focused on completing the first ever satellite launch into space from Europe”. The mission involves a repurposed Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 aircraft, which is named after the The Rolling Stones’ 1981 hit Cosmic Girl, and Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket.
As head of Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay she was never concerned by the doubters, and on the eve of fulfilling her ambitions she is set to prove those critics wrong. “I was fortunate enough to grow up with the Northern Lights quite frequently in the winter,” she says. “For me I guess it was more a spark of wonder as to what is out there.
As well as attracting Virgin Orbit to Spaceport Cornwall – with more announcements of commercial launch operators on the way – she also believes a big part of her job is to encourage girls into the sector. Dan Hart, chief executive of Virgin Orbit, said: “We knew this was not going to be a piece of cake when we took up on the opportunity. We worked very closely the UK Space Agency, the Civil Aviation Authority and Spaceport Cornwall, as well as the international airspace community.
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