Cornwall’s Spaceport has been given the go-ahead after the county council approved a £10.3million grant for Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit site.
There were demonstrations inside and outside the Cornwall Council chamber as environmentalists opposed the plan for a £20million satellite launch facility in the Duchy.
Councillors rejected a motion to defer a decision and agreed to hand over the money to develop Cornwall Newquay Airport.
Prior to the meeting, protesters gathered from campaign group Extinction Rebellion and others opposed to the Spaceport project, which would involve Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit starting horizontal launches of satellites.
Extinction Rebellion’s Red Rebels and Penitents were joined by other protesters carrying signs and flags.
They packed the public gallery in the council chamber for a meeting in which the Spaceport issue was moved up the agenda so it could be considered first, after the formalities and public question session.
Councillors voted to grant £10.32million of capital funding to the Spaceport by 66 votes to 34, with one abstention.
Chanting protesters then launched a fleet of paper airplanes and the chamber had to be cleared and the meeting adjourned.
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There has been controversy for weeks over claims the spaceport plans contradict the council's declaration of a climate emergency.
When the funding proposal went to Cabinet earlier this year there was a split, with some members unwilling to support the plans.
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Spaceport Cornwall is proposed to create the first horizontal space launch facility in the 海角视频.
It will be used to send small satellites into space using existing aircraft technology to take them into the sky before they are launched from specialist equipment under the wing of the aircraft.
Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit has signed an agreement with Spaceport Cornwall which would see it launching its European operations from the facility.
However opponents said the proposals are not environmentally friendly and also suggest Sir Richard should foot the bill.
The grant from Cornwall Council is part of a £20million package for the Spaceport which also includes £7million from the 海角视频 Space Agency and £2.5millon from Virgin Orbit.
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The Ministry of Defence is looking to launch its Artemis programme with Virgin Orbit in 2020. No location has been revealed yet for this but Dan Hart, chief executive of Virgin Orbit, suggested this year that it could be Cornwall.
Spaceport Cornwall is expecting to have received the relevant licences it needs by 2021 and is aiming for the first commercial launch with Virgin Orbit from Cornwall in September 2021.
With one launch expected in 2021 there are plans to have three launches with Virgin Orbit in 2022, increasing each year to a maximum of eight launches in 2026.