Western Morning News (Saturday)
Government set to clear spaceport for take-off
LEGISLATION to manage the running of UK spaceports, including the one at Cornwall Newquay Airport is to be drawn up, the Government has announced.
Ministers at the Department for Transport say they are anxious that the regulations will mean spaceflights can flourish in a safe way.
The Government is due to publish its response to a consultation on the regulatory changes required to allow the country’s first space launch to take place next year.
Traditional rockets launched vertically into space, high-altitude balloons and spaceplanes taking off horizontally could all set off from UK soil once the measures are introduced, according to the DfT. All launches will be required to take place from a licensed spaceport.
Proposed locations for the sites are Newquay, Snowdonia in North Wales and the Western Isles, Shetland, Sutherland, Glasgow Prestwick and Campbeltown, all in Scotland.
Spaceport Cornwall is being established with Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit to deliver a horizontal launch.
The first flights using a modified Boeing 747-400 aircraft called Cosmic Girl carrying a Launcher One rocket under its wing could start as early as Spring 2022.
The plan will see the jet take off from Newquay, head out over the Atlantic and release the rocket at around 35,000 feet for onward flight into space, carrying a satellite into Earth orbit.
Cornwall’s hopes to create a £1 billion space economy as part of its response to the UK industrial strategy to put more satellites into space for a range of high tech applications.
Melissa Thorpe, the recently appointed head of Spaceport Cornwall, said her focus is now on next spring and that first launch into orbit.
The DfT said yesterday its regulations will “strike a balance between creating the conditions that will allow the space sector to flourish in the UK, while ensuring that it is also safe”.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps claimed “the sky is no longer the limit” when it comes to the UK’s ambitions for spaceflights.
He said: “Today we’re making a giant leap for growth and prosperity for the whole of Great Britain.
“I’m committed to growing the UK’s space industry, and with the most modern piece of space legislation in the world we are cementing our leading role in this sector, unlocking a new era in commercial spaceflight for all four corners of our nation.”
Science minister Amanda Solloway said: “The UK’s space sector is thriving and we have bold ambitions to be the first country in Europe to launch small satellites, while building space capabilities in every corner of the UK.
“Working with our space industry, regulators and across Government, we will develop a modern, safe and flexible regulatory framework that will support a new era of sustainable commercial spaceflight across the UK.”
The Government hopes its plans will create high-skilled jobs for scientists and engineers, as well as provide environmental benefits through observation of weather patterns, climate change monitoring and detection of harmful activities.
When the deal between Cornwall Council and Virgin was signed in 2018 Mark Duddridge, chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP said Cornwall saw space as a “major opportunity for growth.”
THE National Trust has drawn up a “game changer” climate change map plotting possible threats to its stately homes, landscapes and coastline.
The mapping tool outlines threats posed by climate impacts including extreme heat and humidity, landslides, high winds, and floods, and how they could change by 2060, to help the charity intervene to protect its sites.
The map is based on a “worst-case scenario” of a failure to drive down carbon emissions over the coming decades, but is intended to be a flagging tool to highlight potential hazards in the area of a heritage or countryside site.
It reveals that, without action on emissions, the number of National Trust sites in areas at the highest threat level from climate impacts could more than treble from 3,371 (5%) to 11,462 (17%) over the next 40 years.
And the number of sites at high or medium risk of climate-related hazards could increase from 20,457, or 30% of sites, to 47,888, or 71%, by 2060. Among areas at risk are parts of the Trust’s coastal land in the South West.
Identifying areas at risk will help the National Trust pinpoint locations that could need interventions such as planting trees or restoring peat bogs to hold or slow the flow of water to prevent flooding, or more shade to protect areas at risk of high temperatures.
The map will ensure that, under a commitment to plant or establish 20 million trees to tackle climate change, trees go in the places they are needed most, the charity said. The map shows high heat and humidity will hit the south-east of England, with a third of National Trust sites in the region experiencing at least 15 days above 30C (86F) a year, and storm damage, landslides and flooding will become common and more widespread, particularly in the North of England and Wales.
Coastal erosion and flooding will increase in Northern Ireland, potentially leading to more landslides around locations such as the Giant’s Causeway.
National Trust director for land and nature Harry Bowell said: “This map is a game changer in how we face the threat climate change poses to the places we care for. While the data draws on a worst-case scenario, the map paints a stark picture of what we have to prepare for.
“But by acting now, and working with nature, we can adapt to many of these risks.”
The National Trust is working in partnership with government bodies to plot all cultural heritage sites in the UK, and has unveiled the map ahead of key UN climate talks in Glasgow to drive international action on climate change - which if successful would avoid the worst case scenario in the map.
The Trust says staff are already taking action to cope with rising temperatures, such as at Ham House in London, which could often face 40C (104F) heat by 2040, where heat-tolerant plants are being grown and garden working hours have shifted to start and finish earlier to avoid summer afternoon heat.
At Lyme Park in Cheshire, which was hit by a major flood in 2019, the
team is undertaking tree planting on moorland to slow the flow of water and reduce flooding risks.
At Mount Stewart, Northern Ireland, where rising sea levels in Strangford Lough have contributed to coastal erosion, the carpark has been relocated and a shelter-belt from incoming sea water created.
And at Malham Tarn, in the Yorkshire Dales, an otherwise sound 18th century barn collapsed due to soil
shrinkage, but teams can now intervene with moves such as tree planting and using certain plants to manage the water table.
A 16th century listed farmhouse in Wales, Dyffryn Mymbyr in Snowdonia has been protected against the impact of increased driving heavy rainfall by installing “slate hanging” on the exposed end of the building.
The map plots the impacts of extreme heat and humidity, landslides, coastal erosion, shrinking and shifting ground due to wet and dry conditions known as “soil heave”, and high winds, in 2020 and 2060. It uses data from a number of sources and plots them in 5km hexagonal grids across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The National Trust is also sharing available data on localised flooding with staff and action that can be taken.