Spaceport Cornwall – what is it and why are we talking about it?

Who does not get a buzz out of thinking about “space”?  I suspect some of you were brought up on Star Wars and Star Trek; or perhaps presenters like Patrick Moore or Brian Cox.  And judging by the actions and endeavours of the likes of Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos – this final frontier is attracting the interest of entrepreneurs.

It is therefore no surprise that we (me and my colleagues here at PKF Francis Clark) are excited to be hosting one of our Deep Dive events with a space theme on 2^nd December.  What may come as a surprise to some of you is how proximate we in the South West are to real interaction with space related business opportunities – thanks to Spaceport Cornwall.  And it is Spaceport Cornwall that is core to our decision to host this event and to consider, with our panel of experts:

• What is Spaceport Cornwall
• What impact could Spaceport Cornwall have on Cornwall and the wider South West, specifically in terms of manufacturing and R&D activities

We have almost 70 registered to attend the webinar – indicating a fair level of interest.

Still, I thought it may be useful in advance of the event to give a brief overview of what Spaceport Cornwall is, and draw out a few aspects to highlight why this webinar could/should be of interest to a great number of our clients and contacts.  It also gives me an opportunity to outline a few potential positives of Spaceport Cornwall that we may not have time to cover off in a 45 minute webinar.

What is Spaceport Cornwall?

Spaceport Cornwall is a project between Cornwall Council, The Local Enterprise Partnership, Goonhilly Earth Station and Virgin Orbit, to provide horizontal satellite launches from Cornwall Airport Newquay from 2022 onwards.

(Yes, you read that correctly – launches due to start next year. I am sure Melissa will provide us with an up-to-date timeline for the first launch during the webinar).

Why is it important?

The UK builds a large proportion of the world’s small satellites but has no launch capability. It is estimated that over 13,000 satellites are required to be launched by 2030, with only 3,300 satellites currently active. This represents a significant gap and demand for affordable access to space.

This should also greatly assist in the drive towards net zero and better understanding and mitigating against the impact of climate change; satellites will enable greater monitoring of critical measurements for climate change.

What impact will the Spaceport have on the local economy?

Spaceport Cornwall anticipate that 150 direct jobs will be created by the project by 2025, with over half of these being filled by local residents. 240 additional jobs are also anticipated to be created in the supply chain and ancillary services.

Spaceport Cornwall is projected to add £200m Gross Value Added (GVA) to the economy and be a catalyst for wider economic change, with local businesses likely to adopt space derived data and applications and perhaps sparking businesses to locate in Cornwall and wider South West as part of “space clusters”.

I am already beginning to read and hear of various businesses looking to set up a presence in Cornwall and wider South West due to the proximity of Spaceport Cornwall and one of main themes of the questions I have prepared for our panellists on the webinar is around understanding the impact (now and potential) of the Spaceport on R&D and manufacturing in Cornwall and the South West.

Spaceport Cornwall – as an inspiration for future generations

One wider benefit of the project is the work that Spaceport Cornwall are doing with local schools and universities and they have ambitions to help increase the number of students studying STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) in the county.

As our understanding of and access to space develops in the future, its importance in relation to the environment and its impact on our economy will become more apparent and therefore inspiring the younger generation to engage with space is a critical part of the project.

Spaceport Cornwall have produced a useful education pack for children looking to learn more about the project.

The webinar?

The aim of our webinar is to bring together a panel of local business experts who can not only provide a more in-depth insight into what Spaceport Cornwall is, but also explain the impact that it has had so far and will continue to have on businesses throughout Cornwall and the wider South West.

I will be posing questions to Melissa Thorpe of Spaceport Cornwall, as well as Matt Borne from Innovate UK and James Henderson from Teddington Systems/Cornwall Manufacturing Group; with the aim of sparking a conversation of developments at Spaceport Cornwall and its impact on R&D and manufacturing in Cornwall and the wider South West.

I am truly excited to have brought together the panellists to be able to discuss, pre first launch, Spaceport Cornwall and to hopefully enhance an understanding of it and its potential impact on our business lives (and beyond).

Our discussion should provide engaging and useful insight into a project which will put Cornwall and the wider South West on the map on a global scale as we move towards a future in which space may play an increasingly critical part.

To register to attend the webinar, which is at 12 noon on Thursday 2 December.