º£½ÇÊÓƵ

A mission to launch the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s first orbital satellite into space from Cornwall will be a “strategically significant” moment for the country, according to the president of industry trade association º£½ÇÊÓƵspace.

A specially adapted Boeing 747 is due to take off from Spaceport Cornwall at Cornwall Airport near Newquay on Monday night (January 9). The Virgin Atlantic plane will take off horizontally from the airport while carrying the rocket which will blast nine satellites into space while over the Atlantic.

The launch was initially planned for December but was pushed back after delays in obtaining Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) licences.

Dr Alice Bunn, º£½ÇÊÓƵspace president, said the so-called ‘Start Me Up’ mission, if successful, would signal a “major milestone” for the º£½ÇÊÓƵ space sector.

“Tonight's planned first orbital space launch from the º£½ÇÊÓƵ is a historic moment,” she said. “The industry is at a critical stage of development as we are on the cusp of an industrial revolution in space.

“Small satellites provide essential services for every single one of us; they are the invisible enabler of our modern lives, and the º£½ÇÊÓƵ already has a global lead in their manufacture. This trend is increasing, which is why having a launch capability in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ is so strategically significant.”

According to º£½ÇÊÓƵspace, Britain's space sector is now valued at around £14.8bn a year and provides 42,000 jobs - but could double to £30bn by 2030 and a further 30,000 jobs in the next decade.

“Many of [the jobs] are ‘green jobs’ in areas like climate change monitoring, smart transport routing and flood prevention,” added Dr Bunn. “These jobs are spread across the º£½ÇÊÓƵ including Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, the Midlands and the South West.”