Future Of British Business

Cornwall Channels Cape Canaveral With First UK Space Shot

  • Former air force base will host historic Virgin Orbit mission
  • Britain is planning six more launch hubs amid satellite boom

The Launcher One Rocket on the The ‘Cosmic Girl’.

Source: Virgin
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The small group of nations to have sent rockets into the sky from their own soil is about to gain a new member as Britain makes its first-ever launch from a seaside town better known for surfing and sandy beaches than space adventures.

The mission will take off from Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay, southwest England, the first of a clutch of bases through which the UK aims to establish itself as a major player in the sector amid surging demand for launch capacity.