UK’s first rocket launch – and Cornwall is next

A COMMERCIAL rocket has launched from a UK island ahead of the planned opening of a spaceport at the start of a British satellite launch programme that will include Cornwall next year.

The rocket, named ADA, blasted off from Benbecula Airport in the Western Isles on Thursday.

Elsewhere in the UK there are spaceport proposals for Newquay in Cornwall and Snowdonia in North Wales, with Cornwall Newquay Airport set to see the first launch in 2022.

For the Western Isles launch, Spaceport 1 joined forces with East Anglian firm Gravitilab Aerospace Services for the blast off of the flight test vehicle. It was named after Ada Lovelace, the 19th century English mathematician who is considered the world’s first computer programmer.

Spaceport 1 is a consortium led by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council), which plans to open a spaceport in the Western Isles at Scolpaig, North Uist in 2022, for commercial, sub-orbital space launches.

Mark Roberts, Spaceport 1 programme director, said: “This is a historic moment for Spaceport 1, the

Outer Hebrides, Scotland and the UK.

“Our unique partnership with Gravitilab allows us to improve our procedures and progress towards a viable spaceport in North Uist.

“It opens up not only a route to space for inclusive, enterprising ventures like Gravitilab, but also offers this remote area of Scotland a chance to build a thriving business, bringing much-needed quality jobs to this region.”

Gravitilab aims to make space more accessible by providing reliable and affordable microgravity research and testing services, with ADA the company’s first rocket designed for this.

Rob Adlard, Gravitilab Aerospace technical director, said: “This launch is a hugely significant moment for Gravitilab.

“We have launched rockets before, but ADA is a step change for us as it is the rocket that is going provide a template for a future scaled-up programme that will significantly enhance our space access and microgravity service.

“Our work is offering microgravity as a research tool and testing service, which has not been offered commercially in the UK before.”

Jeff Holmes > The rocket, named ADA, being prepared for launch from Benbecula Airport in the Western Isles.