Spaceport Cornwall

Spaceport Cornwall is ready for Cosmic Girl to take off, carrying the Virgin Orbit rocket that will take nine satellites into space.

Virgin's Cosmic Girl has reached the area where it was due to send off the LauncherOne rocket. This is a success for Cornwall as it will attract a lot of businesses here now, but it's also a success for the UK. We dutifully pointed her in the direction of Da Bara's stall. A success for Spaceport Cornwall but the Virgin Orbit vessel and mission has failed. The plane is now heading back to Newquay. [Cornwall Airport Newquay](https://www.cornwalllive.com/all-about/newquay-airport) and released Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket with a view to it taking nine satellites from seven British and international customers into space before returning safely down to Earth, the mission was a failure for Sir Richard Branson's space company after the payload burnt up. Virgin Orbit personnel are presenting live updates and details of previous launches. [Newquay](https://www.cornwalllive.com/all-about/newquay) airport tonight for the lucky members of the public who managed to get their hands on Spaceport [Cornwall](https://www.cornwalllive.com/all-about/cornwall) tickets. Cosmic Girl circled over Newquay airport before coming in to land. Scroll down for the latest. [CornwallLive](https://www.cornwalllive.com) will be at the spaceport from this afternoon until after the launch. You can read more about the satellites

Cosmic Girl took off from Newquay, carrying a rocket to send nine satellites into orbit.

At the centre of it all has been Cornwall Airport Newquay - a small airport with big ambitions, that is now the hub for Spaceport Cornwall, partnering with Virgin Orbit. Cornwall Airport Newquay was chosen as the base for Spaceport Cornwall due to its existing infrastructure. ‘Start Me Up’ was chosen in tribute to the Rolling Stones. Having already assisted the Satellite Applications Catapult with testing and preparations, we’re set to provide tracking and comms during its launch and will run daily mission ops from our OCA at Goonhilly." Explaining about its role, GES said: "We’re thrilled to have supported the Spaceport Cornwall project from the very start. And It's not just Newquay that is playing an important role in this mission.

The first orbital space launch from the UK is set to take off from Cornwall.

"Cornwall had that foresight eight years ago to start investing and start creating the infrastructure around a spaceport. it's a real Cornish success story." "The spaceport now is one of the things that demonstrates to our children that that is not the case anymore. The existence of a UK spaceport is ground-breaking, but with more coming in remote parts of Scotland and Wales in particular, the Cornish team is keen to build on momentum. Every school in Cornwall has been visited by spaceport representatives, and giving opportunities to young people has been an important part of the mission. The spaceport has partnered with Virgin Orbit for this mission, and will continue to have a relationship with the company, but is seeking other partners also. "What made Spaceport Cornwall a really attractive place is that it is in the South West which has a really lively space cluster. Ian Annett, deputy chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said being on the brink of launch was "immense" and "feels like a national moment". The spaceport also has access to the 2.7km (1.7 mile) runway at Cornwall Airport Newquay, one of the longest in the UK. Businesses are now interested in moving to Cornwall as a direct result of the spaceport." In the early days of Cornwall's bid to build a spaceport "we got laughed at", Spaceport Cornwall boss Melissa Thorpe recalls. The first orbital space launch from the UK is due to take off on Monday from Cornwall Airport Newquay, eight years after it was shortlisted as a potential spaceport site.

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 ...

We wish everyone the best of luck as the launch window opens, we are ready.” These will be the first satellites launched into space from Europe. “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. “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. “It’s full of businesses, research centres, manufacturing facilities. What is the purpose of the launch?

Virgin Orbit is the team behind the launch which will see their former Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 G-VWOW, known as “Cosmic Girl” throughout its flying life, ...

The rocket will then be visible across the UK and Northern Europe as it heads for Orbit with most of the UK being able to see Launcher One shortly after its launch is confirmed. Virgin Orbit is the team behind the launch which will see their former Virgin Atlantic Spaceport Cornwall is set to see the first orbital launch from UK soil when Launcher One is released from a