The first British satellite launch in half a century could take place from Cornwall Airport Newquay in the next three years, following a new strategic partnership between Spaceport Cornwall and California-based satellite launch company Virgin Orbit.

The partnership agreement was signed at the Farnborough Airshow last week; it will make history by pioneering horizontal satellite launches from UK soil.

UK Science Minister Sam Gyimah said: “The announcement of a strategic partnership between Virgin Orbit and Spaceport Cornwall is great news.

"This partnership could see Virgin Orbit’s innovative horizontal launch technology helping the UK’s small-satellite industry access space from the convenience of a spaceport in Cornwall. We will work with both partners to support their ambitions.”

Virgin Orbit is seeking to provide launches from Spaceport Cornwall by 2021, using a modified Boeing 747-400 aircraft called Cosmic Girl.

This will carry a LauncherOne rocket to an altitude of around 35,000ft above the Atlantic Ocean and release it for onward flight, to put a satellite into Earth orbit.

This system enables Virgin Orbit to conduct low-cost missions quickly and efficiently, bypassing established launch ranges.

Spaceport Cornwall (www.spaceportcornwall.com) will give Virgin Orbit (www.virginorbit.com) a strategic location in Western Europe.

Britain is a world-leader in the production of small satellites, but it currently lacks any means of getting them into space.

The global satellite launch market is predicted to be worth around £10 billion over the next decade, and it is estimated that up to 2,600 micro-satellites (under 50kg) will need to be launched over the next five years alone.

Work will now commence to develop a detailed plan for launch by 2021, as well as a Spaceport and Operator Licence
application.