Here we go. Giant leap for Cornwall as £20 million secured for spaceport.

We've finally got the funding for the 1st European Spaceport.
Go Cornwall.
Great news for this area as it's mostly tourism, pub work and not much in the tech industries down here.
Looks like the house prices will rocket too.. (Pun intended).

Full Local Article. (Cornwall Live)


Just noticed my 1000th post too.

Mmmmmmm...I smell a new private space race, the first to build a SPACE PORT.

I like the one at the end of Space Balls.

a reply to: Arnie123

Virgin Orbit and some Satellite launches to start with by the looks of the plans.

Here's a nice one just down the road from my place. Built by Sir Branson and Virgin. Perhaps he can build yours as well.
Ours is used frequently as a film location which also puts locals to work in our growing film industry. I worked on this one out there.

btw...love your BCS avy. Blessed to have had a small part in that show as well.

www.youtube.com...

www.spaceportamerica.com...

oops...

Theres a few if's and maybe's to it like funding approvals from different companies, local council, government etc.

Funded by the Cornwall local council tax payers as well. £12 million!

If it happens i hope the locals get their fair share and not have to pay Council Tax, as they will own a fair share of the whole enterprise. But i can see Branson getting more out of it than them.

a reply to: UKWO1Phot

Potentially one of the worst thing's that could happen to Cornwall from an ecological perspective, more planes at a bigger air port and the potential for huge atmosphere disrupting rocket launches ruining any illusion of peace and calm even more.

Potentially the best news those that want there hand in the kitty though, a lot of money will change hand's over such a project and a pretty penny will indeed fall through the cracks landing in certain officials private bank account's.

Another way of looking at it is a white elephant - but perhaps the local's need the job's more than they do there environment, the airport will most likely end up a kind of aerial free port and be used by freight more than passenger traffic, meaning warehouses and potentially also factory's getting a boost in the area.

Space though, nah the Chinese and Russian's would continue to undercut costs and make it non viable from a commercial space port perspective, it is also not optimally located for the task and a floating platform closer to the equator - perhaps even a group of re-purposed and outdated oil rig's rather than being broken up bought for a song and taken to an equatorial location in international waters or the waters of a friendly neutral party and a platform superstructure built on them making the rig's like leg's on a table.

a reply to: LABTECH767

Our airport has the 2nd biggest runway in Europe. We get plenty of exotic aircraft here. Thanks to the RAF.
I've been DOWNSTAIRS in the airport and it's laid out perfect for the Branson enterprise.
The amount of second homes down here won't make much difference as the council tax is outrageous anyway.
I won't even wind myself up about the water rates....

I just hope the investment goes into the local economy because it's #e at the moment. The amount of closed down hotels and shops is getting ridiculous because of the stupid business rates. With any luck the tech and service industry will take off and supply better wages for the kids coming out of college and not have to move up country for work.

We can only hope...


Why does ATS constant balls up on the 1/2hr???
Also my stars don't stick when starring others...

a reply to: UKWO1Phot

I get that sometime's, you go click on the star and nothing seem's to happen.

You make some good (also outrageous) point's there.

Second home's are a blight, they ruin villages and rural community's and make the homes in those areas too expensive for the local REAL population, they are empty most of the time while kid's are dying on the street's in our country.

Not so much of a problem for genuine jet setter's though I have nothing against them having an apartment in major city's of the world as it may make more sense for them as there job's take them around to have a place to stay were they both feel at home and can entertain client's but country home's that no one actually lives in are an outrage, they are also an investment for foreign investors so some of those second homes' are simply that real estate capital rather than a home at all, Cornwall is far form the only county to suffer form that blight.

Rarely though in some rural areas were people were leaving the second home market can actually reinvigorate the local market by making otherwise worthless property's suddenly financially desirable and allowing there owners to sell them to some idiot with a few bob for a tidy profit.

originally posted by: LABTECH767
a reply to: UKWO1Phot

Potentially one of the worst thing's that could happen to Cornwall from an ecological perspective [...];the potential for huge atmosphere disrupting rocket launches ruining any illusion of peace and calm even more.

They're talking about it being a horizontal launch site, so I'd guess that that rules out rockets, at least until the mothership reaches altitude.

I think it's a shame in a sense, where I am in the Channel Islands I'd get a fantastic view of rockets flying over after launching from Cornwall.

Still, it would be awesome to track and maybe even get glimpses of large exotic aircraft carrying space bound payloads passing by.

I have been watching the UK focus on space shifting. We now have a space capable airport in Cornwall and a commercial rocket launching facility being built in the far north of Scotland, courtesy of the UK Space Agency.

It's interesting times.

Wonder what our old mate CCG would make of it all?

a reply to: Freeborn

I miss him, lol

Second line

a reply to: LABTECH767

Oh shut up with your virtue signalling.

a reply to: UKWO1Phot

This is great news for Great Britian and Cornwall, and also great for our space industry. It's good that we're getting into the Space industry other than just suppling parts.
Does this mean Dr Who is getting a base here?

a reply to: UKWO1Phot

Thunderbirds Are Go!

a reply to: Freeborn

What happened to him anyway, any idea?