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In this bonus episode, we’re discussing the historic rocket launch from UK soil happening later this year. Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne will take flight from Spaceport Cornwall on a mission that will mark the first ever orbital launch from a UK spaceport and Virgin Orbit’s first mission outside of the US.
Welcome to In-Orbit, the fortnightly podcast exploring how technology from space is empowering a better world.
Stuart Martin 0:08
Welcome to In-Orbit. The podcast explores how technology from space is empowering a better world brought to you by the Satellite Applications Catapult. I'm your host Stuart Martin, Chief Executive of the Catapult and in this series, we'll be in conversation with some of the most inspiring minds in the country and across the world. Exploring the ways that space is being used to make huge differences to our everyday lives, as well as gaining a better insight of its role in shaping and sustaining our planet for the future. In today's bonus episode, we're discussing the historic rocket launch from UK soil happening later this year. Virgin Orbit's Launcher One will take flight from Spaceport Cornwall on a mission that will mark the first-ever orbital launch from a UK spaceport and Virgin Orbit's first mission outside of the US. I'm joined remotely from California by Dan Hart, Chief Executive of Virgin Orbit, from London by Matthew Archer, commercial space director at the UK Space Agency and from Cornwall by Melissa Thorpe, head of Spaceport Cornwall. The UK is home to some of the world's leading space companies and satellite manufacturers, but they've never before been able to launch from the UK territory itself, until now. We are now on the cusp of a major milestone as a spacefaring nation. The mission from spaceport Cornwall marks the beginning of a new domestic launch market as the UK completes its end-to-end ecosystem, enabling companies to design, build, launch and operate their spacecraft all from one place. This historic launch is bringing together the combination of skills, capabilities, infrastructure, and organisations of all sizes from across the UK and beyond to support innovation and ensure that companies operating in space have the skills and the resources they need to make themselves a success. So Dan, if I may begin with you, thank you very much for joining us today. So as we just heard, you know, this is the first launch for a virgin orbit outside of the US, what brings you to the UK, and what excites you most about this opportunity from this launch?
Dan Hart 2:07
You know, we've been having discussions about launching in the UK since well before we launched for the first time, and you know, we partnered with Cornwall Council and the UK Space Agency and then the RAF with the understanding together that space has become such an important part of the world economy. The objectives of the UK and the history of the UK have been really steeped in small satellites and space and it's exciting to be part of that ecosystem and to be able to bring a new technology in space launch this liquid air-launch system that we've developed, that can take an airport and overnight, turn it into a spaceport, and in doing so serve the local economic ecosystem, better science for understanding the area and the world environment and important aspects of responsible space for national security and so being able to plug that technology into the UK and fulfil some of its needs is incredibly exciting for us and follows a long history of collaboration between the UK and the US on all sorts of matters.
Stuart Martin 3:27
Brilliant. Thanks very much, Dan. Yeah, I mean, it really is an exciting new development for launch technology in general, and the opportunity to make it much more flexible. So yeah, thank you for that. Matthew, so launch has been a part of the UK space strategy now for a number of years. What does it feel like to be so close now to bring that to reality and what does it mean for other areas of the strategy now that it really is on the horizon?
Matthew Archer 3:53
It's a really interesting feeling. It's one where for government, it's been a journey of five plus years in this programme, whether that's the early conversations that Dan mentioned around kind of bringing a version of it over to the UK, whether that's setting up the regulatory system that we needed to enable it, the funding that we offer to support it and encourage that. It's a real testament, I think, to the collaboration that space requires to be successful. But the reality is, we wouldn't be here without each other and the combined effort of many people to make this launch happen and I'll sort of expand that to the National Space strategy, which was launched a year ago and it is the first things on a ten-point plan. So it's a major achievement for the UK. It's one that we committed to achieving and lots of effort's gone into it and it should be seen as a commitment to what else is in the space strategy. So whether that's furthering our Earth observation capability, whether that's looking after and unleashing a kind of a world-class science aspect in the Uk. There's a whole bunch of things that we in the space strategy set our ambitions to and said that we want to be a big player in space. Freeing launch to enable that is a key factor, it enables kind of broader access for the UK, it builds on our historic kind of strengths in satellite manufacturing and again, the UK still manufactures more satellites, with the exception of California, than anywhere else in the world. So again, a massive achievement for the UK to build on, and it doesn't have to go to the US to launch. So again, it really opens up a new commercial opportunity, and again, will be a source of growth for years to come. So yeah, really excited.
Stuart Martin 5:42
Yeah, thanks, Matthew and, you know, I think I'm probably the only one on the call here today, who was around when that first decision in the UK to support a domestic launch was taken and what excites me is that the vision we had then was that we saw that the existing launch capability was not going to support the type of space systems that were coming online over the next 10 years, it wasn't the right type of offering and now what we're seeing with Virgin Orbit is a much more flexible launch system, a much more responsive launch system, that is going to support the new types of technology that are coming to market now and really, the sky is not the limit for what we can achieve from this point forward. It's very exciting. So Mel, let's come to you now. So can you tell us a bit about what's been going on at Spaceport Cornwall for the last few weeks and how you've been preparing for this historic moment?
Melissa Thorpe 6:36
It's been all the action in the last few weeks, we've had many years of preparation, and suddenly we have launched equipment on site and the carrier aircraft on-site and the humans from Virgin Orbit on site. So it's been a massively exciting few weeks, I don't think it's quite hit us all yet. But kind of back-to-back arrival of Cosmic Girl and the rocket and the ground support equipment was a huge milestone for all of us here in Cornwall and the UK. So really exciting on that front, we're busy now just finalising the licencing, which is the last thing that we need in place, and we're really close to being there and that's been a monumental effort from many different people to get to that point and it's the first time ever as well. So there's so many firsts in this launch and, you know, it's just been a big team effort across all the stakeholders throughout the UK and our friends over in the US as well. So it's culminating in, you know, the weeks before launch and it's a mix of excitement, a mix of a lot of hard work still to come. But I think the best thing about all of this is we're all, you know, motivated towards that one thing, you know, all of us are working towards that launch. So when times get tough, you know, we pick each other up, definitely.
Stuart Martin 7:55
Yeah, brilliant and as you say that, you know, there's not only the technology achievement here, it's all the processes, all the new regulation that we've been running through for the first time, and all of that now coming together in this one historic moment. I wonder if you could just say a little bit about, you know, on board this launch, we've got satellites coming from all over the UK, from Scotland, from Wales, and obviously from England as well. I mean, what do you see is the significance of that for the future of the UK space sector?
Melissa Thorpe 8:23
I think for our first mission ever out of the UK, it's just a great showcase of the different kind of space clusters around the UK using it and that's the whole reason that we're creating a launch capability here in the UK is that our small satellite manufacturers and our space companies in the UK have a place where they can load their satellite onto a lorry and it can come down the M5 and launch rather than be shipped overseas. So capturing that market and that market is in places like Wales and it is in places like Scotland and Harwell and not just in London and I think it's been a great example of those different areas coming, you know, to this mission and, you know, I'm really glad that our first manifest is so diverse, not just throughout the UK, but we have you know, a US satellite on there, we have a Polish satellite. So it's kind of just a great showcase of, of how we'll we're able to service all these different marketplaces and then help some of those areas develop as well and grow like the Space Forge around Cardiff and up in Scotland as well, as it's just supporting those clusters as well as our own down here in Cornwall. So for me, it's just a fantastic diverse manifest that we can get so many different stories out of that are all good for the UK.
Stuart Martin 9:38
Yeah, it's a great national and international story. Absolutely. So Dan again, so now that we're looking to move to a truly sustainable future, that international collaboration is becoming more and more important and what does this mean for launch and for international collaboration and for Virgin Orbit?
Dan Hart 9:56
Well, first of all, from a sustainability point of view, you know, we've created In a launch system, that reuses, an aeroplane and reuses a runway of an airport to get to space. So you know, the impact on the local area is so much smaller. History is dozens of pictures of the beautiful nature of, of a wetlands and a powerful rocket blasting off and you know, there's a certain poetry associated with that. But in today's lens, you look at that and say, there's an enormous amount of soot and smoke that's pouring out into nature, and an acoustic wave that is, frankly, damaging the wildlife and we don't do any of that. You know, as we look forward, there are things that we can do in sustainable aircraft fuel for our aeroplane, and hopefully, eventually, sustainable fuel for rockets as well, because we use kerosene currently and so there's a tremendous amount there. But the biggest thing that space has done is it has made us aware of what we're doing to our world, we would not know about greenhouse gases, we would not know really about the extent and effects of climate change and we wouldn't have some of the tools of what to do about it. You know, I've heard numbers like GPS reduces the amount of gas each one of us uses by about 15%. I don't know if that's accurate or not, but I know it helps me quite a bit to avoid traffic, you know, power logistics systems operate more efficiently. We're able to communicate like we're communicating now without maybe hopping on aeroplanes, so we become a more efficient species and there's so much opportunity in space to do so much more in detecting and understanding what we're doing with our environment and we think about if an oil spill could be identified in minutes instead of days, what that would do for our impact to the world. Think about if firefighters in the outskirts had data from an hour ago of what was going on with the fire instead of yesterday. You know, there's an enormous amount we can do and that's what we're all about.
Stuart Martin 12:12
Brilliant, thanks, Dan. Yeah, I mean, we're just scratching the surface of the possible at the moment and that's what makes all of this so exciting. So Spaceport Cornwall is located at an operational airport and how does this differentiate SPC from from other launch sites and what do you see as the big advantages of that?
Melissa Thorpe 12:32
For us, it all comes down to that integration piece, we're all about integrating launched into an active airport or civilian airport and there's a few benefits from that, that we've realised, one is, we're able to often launch for a bit of a lower cost because we don't have all the kind of infrastructure requirements from creating a launch pad in the middle of somewhere that is often quite remote, we have our launch pad already there, which is the runway and with that, we're also able to do it in a way that's maybe a bit more environmentally sensitive, in that, again, we're not starting from scratch, we're not building anything brand new, the buildings that we have put in or have just been replacing derelict properties. So we haven't had to encroach on any kind of nature around the site at all. and we kind of launched with Virgin Orbit from day one, our facility is so capable, and we have 747s coming and going throughout the past. So we were able to do it turn that around quite quickly and I think that's why we've been able to kind of go through the regulations as fast as we have is that we're already an operational airport, we've worked with the CAA every single day as an airport and for us, this is just almost a delta on top of that. There are additional activities that we're doing, also what we've realised is at the minute we have people sitting on their flights off to Alicante and Dublin and Gatwick and they look out their window and they see Cosmic Girl, they see a rocket and what we're getting on social media is just tonnes of inspirational kind of photos and excitement from having launched be so accessible and, you know, I think it's something that I don't know how we'll capture but it's just that that inspiration and aspiration piece from people being able to see something that you know, really close up has been quite a nice surprise for us as well, being an airport that has a has a launcher on it.
Stuart Martin 14:23
Yeah, it was evident at the G7 conference last year as all the sorts of delegates flew into Newquay and they were there, right next to the spaceport and they were able to come in and see what you were doing and just get that sense of the excitement building up for launch there and then without having to go anywhere else. So it's a huge opportunity being next to the airport. I mean, Matthew, from the space agency point of view, sustainability and you know, the ambition of a safe and sustainable commercial market for the space industry and what does that mean for you?
Matthew Archer 14:58
For me, it means... yeah, exciting opportunities for local communities like it's the element of, we're not in the game of just doing one-off launches, like we want to establish the capabilities. So when we talk about the first launch, it's going to be the first of many, to be the first of more and whether that's from Spaceport Cornwall with Virgin Orbit, whether it's from Scotland with Corvex, or AVL, potentially high impulse or others, that the rest of us, we set our regulations up in a way to encourage, if you like, the minimisation of any environmental impacts and we're not gonna get away from the fact that launch has an impact. But the reality is, as Dan's kind of pointed to, the technologies that we invest in and we've put into space, offer such vast opportunities for us to then measure our planet and see our planet in very different ways and give us much better intelligence to be able to target climate change response, the offset is relatively small, I think it's a really important thing for us to invest in the future, that is a high-tech industry is going to bring jobs to areas in the UK that traditionally aren't well serviced and again, I've really struggled with some industries. Again, that's a particular point for me around the sustainability of the community and economic impact, that a new industry is coming to secure those towns and people. So yeah, a really important part that we have to play.
Stuart Martin 16:27
Yeah, as Dan said, we only know what we know about the environmental challenge we have on our planet, because of what we've been able to see from space, what we haven't yet really started to do is use that same power to start to find solutions and that's the opportunity ahead of us.
Matthew Archer 16:43
Yeah, just to give an example, I think so. I, I was down at SSTL, visiting Eartheye a few months ago and they were doing some amazing work with water companies to do a trial of where could they identify water leaks from space, based on vegetation health, that they could only do from space in terms of the quantity of the area. Like, at the moment, if somebody turns up on the ground to check for a water leak, their accuracy rate's 50/50, at best, viewed from space, they were averaging 8 out of 10. So you only think about that as a 30% improvement, just by being able to take Earth observation imagery, which is a relatively simple technology nowadays, but it's because we're investing in different tools and thinking about our planet in different ways, offers the opportunity to be so much more efficient in the way that we apply on our own technology and our efforts to improve outcomes for people on the ground.
Dan Hart 17:42
And if I could jump in on that, you know, there's also similarly there's incredible work being done on methane right now. I mean, the world leakage of methane from oil rigs and in the energy sector is an unknown to some degree, but we know there are vast amounts coming out. Only recently, are we able to start to trigger on where's it coming from, and starting to apply pressure on those companies on those countries that are responsible for that and that may be one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gases and climate change.
Stuart Martin 18:19
Absolutely can't do anything about what you can't see. So Melissa, you've shared previously your ambitions for Spaceport Cornwall to be the first net-zero spaceport in the world. Can you tell us a bit more about how that's going and how does this launch fit in with those ambitions?
Melissa Thorpe 18:36
So quite a few years ago, before the pandemic, we had to raise the remaining piece of the funding that we needed through Cornwall Council and at the same time they declared the climate emergency and quite quickly we realised those two things look a bit strange from the outside, how can you declare a climate emergency but then go and fund a spaceport, which on the surface looks very impactful to the environment and it woke us up to this irony that is in the industry at the minute, which is we're sending all these incredible technologies to space to do amazing things for our planet and the people on this planet and our environment. But the way that they're getting there does actually impacts our atmosphere as well as on the ground and so what we want to do is to change that so we can truly become part of the solution. So look across the entire launch ecosystem from the way that satellites are being built to the processes of integrating them, to the launch itself, what fuels, what happens to the fairings when they drop in the sea? What happens when the satellites get up there with space debris and looking at sustainability not just on the ground but in space as well and capturing all of that through a lifecycle analysis which the University of Exeter have started for us and we'll continue to do. All this comes back to transparency. We don't really know where we are a lot of launch and spaceports don't know where they are, so it's strange to look at. Actually first of all, what is our impact because only then can we decide how to decrease that impact. So I think that's where we are in the process right now is understanding what that impact is and then our next steps over the next few years will just be identifying where our biggest impacts are and how we'd not just mitigate those or offset that. But actually, how do we bring it down? So at the minute looks like the transit of the 747 is probably one of the biggest impacts we have and if we can crack the biofuel and aviation fuel element, then that almost decreases our overall impact altogether. So just picking off some of those initial impacts and our first ambition is just to get to carbon neutral and then very much, you know, can we get to net zero? Is that feasible? Bringing in people that understand... I'm not a sustainability expert, but I do know sustainability experts, and they are critical friends, they will hold us to account and having those challenging conversations with them so that they can help us get there. So that's how we're approaching it. But we do need help and then for us, it's about then helping other spaceports, other launch operators to look at theirs as well, and kind of challenge them to do the same.
Stuart Martin 21:11
Yeah, I mean, that's great. I mean, the one thing that's for sure, is that looking at this at the national level, now that we have our own launch capability, for the first time, our environmental impact of launch is under our control and we can think about how we resolve that ourselves, we're not reliant on third party is making those decisions for us. So in that respect, at least, it's a very big step forward. Dan could you tell us a little bit more about the satellites that make up the payloads on Launcher One and what do these technologies mean, specifically, in terms of our future ahead?
Dan Hart 21:45
Well, there has been a transformation that has gone on in space. It's incredibly exciting and what has happened, the Launcher One system is has been built to launch a new generation of spacecraft, small satellites, usually going to low Earth orbit, but potentially elsewhere, including, lunar and an inter-planetary also. But what's happened is the same kind of technology has made smartphones, so incredibly capable, is allowing satellites that are small to do the kind of work that used to be reserved for satellites, the size of a school bus and that's a result of the tech, the electronics technology, electronic propulsion, communications, power system, it's all come together in these small satellites and so what we're seeing is, you know, a lot of the things we've just talked about whether it's communication systems to allow us to communicate more effectively, Earth Observation Systems, national security systems, I mean, think about what we are all seeing right now, in the tragedy that's been being unfolded in over Ukraine, we can all see and understand the truth, as a world population only because we're seeing it in our living rooms and by the way, the imagery that we're seeing used to be reserved for some dark rooms, and military bases, you know, in the world, and now we're all sitting with our families and, and be able to see exactly what's going on. So in every sector, it's really, these satellites are really providing incredible new capability on this, the launch that's coming up, we have everything from manufacturing in space, to detection of RF signals, from illegal shipping, that might be illegal fishing, trafficking, piracy, with these small satellites, Earth observation, as I mentioned, as well as other national security collaboration between the US and the UK. It's a world activity, there are satellite companies that have popped up all over the world. I mean, there is, as Matt mentioned, there's a whole host of them in the UK, I mean, from Surrey, to Clyde Space, to Space Forge, to Catapult, to Horizon. I mean, there are a whole bunch that are that have grown up and across the world as well, because the bar of what kind of capital you need to build a satellite has come way down. They used to be billion dollars or more to get into the business. Now, if you have 30,000 square feet, and a bit of equipment, you can start producing satellites.
Stuart Martin 24:32
Yeah, I mean, we've been talking about, you know, this, this launch marks the start of a new era and the impact that we're going to have over that timeframe. But you know, even just looking at what's on this one launch, you can see what a difference some of these companies are going to make and some of this technology is going to make to solving some of these genuinely global challenges. So Matthew, what's next? What will the future of launches from the UK look like?
Matthew Archer 24:55
That's the million-dollar question for all of us. That we think about the same market and I suppose the easy answer to start with is the Virgin Orbit launch is the first of our three Pathfinder launches. That was what the programme was established to do and achieve. So the next step at the very least looks like a Pathfinder launch by the Southern or Shetland, don't know who will be first, it'll be interesting to see when we get to. Will have one Pathfinder launch, each location in the north of Scotland. Again, two very different sizes of vehicles. So you'll have Orbex that will take up to about 200 kilos, into a polar orbit, and ABL Space Systems again, that can get up to a tonne. So again, they are two launches that we are sort of tracking of working with those teams on and then beyond that we're investing more in the launch technology supply chain, as well as kind of looking at how we might incentivize future launches from the UK. But certainly between now and 2030, we're looking at rising from the initial kind of launch this year, hopefully reaching kind of 10 to 14 launches by 2030 every year. So again, a big growth that we're expecting over the coming years. Again, it reflects the trend that Dan's kind of pointed to is, technology gets better every year, it gets smaller every year, and it gets cheaper every year and it's one that we start to see and have seen over the past decades a real move from sort of billion-dollar satellites that are really big, and these are very heavy vehicles to get you into orbit to something that is much more responsive to customer demand, much smaller, can often put in multiple cube sats at one time. So gives you a great opportunity to get your service up and running to customers on a much more frequent basis and that's where we're aiming to be as the UK is kind of aim to look at to achieve a launch every month and that gives customers the range of options about who do they go with? How do we get into all of it? How do we generate a service to customers as quickly as possible?
Stuart Martin 27:01
Yeah, thank you. I mean, what excites me is that you know, so often when something, a new capability or a new technology comes into being, it's very difficult to predict in advance what you're going to use it for. But once it's there, people are always so quick to come up with new ways of using it and I'm really excited looking forward to you know, what ideas people are going to come up with about how we now use this new launch capability, I think it's going to open up a completely new era in space logistics, interface manufacturing, orbital assembly, moving raw materials into space, it's a completely different way of thinking about how we access space, and how we make use of all the different capabilities that we now have at our disposal. So a really exciting time.
Matthew Archer 27:50
It is and just to add that, when we did have our regular survey in terms of assessing the size and health of the UK economy, one of the questions that we asked was given we are bringing on launch, and it's probably the good news for Dan, he said with the launch on the horizon, is it starting to give people thought about either generating new revenue, so either actually generating new revenue now or actively thinking about how to utilise that capability and we've seen the response rate been way above expectation to the saying at least 15% of UK space firms have either seen a growth in their income because they are supporting those supply chains, or actively considering how to use the launch. So again, you're right, that kind of bringing on board a new capability just sparks that imagination and that sense of, this isn't something that I have to travel 1000s of miles to access. What's the new opportunity for me and how do I make that work for my company?
Stuart Martin 28:48
Brilliant. So Mel, what's next once Launcher One has completed its journey, what will you be turning your attention to then?
Melissa Thorpe 28:57
A holiday? A nap and a holiday? Yeah, I think the team we've been pushing very hard for quite a long time and yeah, I think we will all need a bit of a celebration a break and then back at it and for us that means, you know working on the next launch with Virgin. What does that look like? Our own satellite Kernel Sat One. So our ocean monitoring satellite that we're building at the minute so hopefully getting that on the second launch to Cornwall next year and then we attend you know, look shifting attention to developing the supply chain around launch on site. So we have a brand new facility that will be open from March, filling that with, you know like-minded businesses that want to come in co-locate, but also that fit that mould of helping us towards that that carbon neutrality and decarbonisation across the lifecycle, and then working with other partners like CR Space on their feasibility on using our site as a return landing site for Dream Chaser, we want to be a multi-user spaceport so you know, starting to develop those relationships with other launch operators as well is going to be crucial for creating, you know, a sustainable business model and a commercial business model for spaceport Cornwall for the UK and definitely sharing best practice with the other launch locations, working with the sites up in Scotland, about what we've learned through the licencing process, what's been good, what hasn't. For us, it's about creating this, this UK launch platform, not just in Cornwall, but you know, from vertical lift as well, and really just developing that whole capability and supporting one another in that. So there's a lot to do after this first launch. But we definitely do not want you know, another black arrow, we don't want us to be a one-hit wonder it will not be a one-hit wonder and we'll ensure that we have as you know, a sustainable cadence that grows over the coming years.
Stuart Martin 31:02
Yeah, well, I mean, just even thinking about the To-Do List afterwards, it looks like that holidays going to be very well deserved. So I'm going to finish then with sort of a personal question, then for each of you, starting with you, maybe Dan. What does it mean, personally for you, having spent your time now working in the space industry and building up this your company in Virgin Orbit? So how was it important for you, this event, this milestone of Launcher One in the UK?
Dan Hart 31:33
Well, you know, we built the company around a purpose of opening space for everybody. In recognition that space is becoming another place to transport people and goods that help us here on Earth. From a personal perspective of I'll say for myself and the people in this company, the connection that we have formed with the people in Cornwall and the welcoming that we've gotten there, the response and the teamwork together, to open up a gateway to space is incredibly exciting. You know, we were in Cornwall a year ago, around the G7 and had quite a bit of interaction and I would say, you know, you could just feel the excitement about the potential and I think everybody in the company is feeling that and it's driving us every single day.
Stuart Martin 32:40
Thank you. Yeah, that's very tangible, and Matthew, how about you? What does this mean for you personally?
Matthew Archer 32:46
For me, personally, I suppose kind of a momentous challenge, but also, not many people get to say that they will have delivered a new industrial capability for a country and what it is in the UK. I think that's resonated with my team and the partnership that we have with Virgin Orbit is, is one that we know we've had a lot to do and yeah, space is hard, right? You've got to get it right and I think there's an immense sense of personal achievement and being proud, but also fundamentally that we brought a new capability that offers jobs to the UK. So for me, it's an enduring benefit that knows we've delivered something on a national scale that demonstrates the government can deliver complex things, which is always kind of something that has tested in the media. But for me, personally, it's the kind of challenge and rising to it of something that is unknown, very complicated, and we've been able to deliver it with Virgin Orbit and Spaceport Cornwall. So, yeah, a very proud moment when it comes and I'm sure when we're there, I'll be sharing a drink with Dan and Mel when we get there.
Dan Hart 33:58
And if I could just add, Matt, you know, the other piece we've talked about a lot is, as we've engaged with school children, and you know, the change that you see forming in their brains when they think this isn't something that happens in some faraway place, this is something that we do here.
Stuart Martin 34:20
And that's, I think that's fantastic that that's so easy to overlook the inspirational element of that horizon opening capability that space has for the next generation. Mel, I mean, you've talked about you know, this has been a long-term endeavour and you know, certainly the last few months have been very intense. But you know, what does it mean for you personally now that we're so close to this major milestone, and looking forward what do you think success looks like for Spaceport Cornwall and for the broader UK sector once we have this new capability up and running?
Melissa Thorpe 34:58
I think from a UK perspective, success for me will look like we create this launch capability and we do it in a way that we're developing these regulations that are really going to lead globally in responsible launch, how we launch more sustainably, more ethically, and really consider what we are putting into space and what it's doing when it's up there, and what it's doing when, when it's no longer needed and I think the UK have a huge role to play in that and I think, as space becomes more regulated, people will look to places like the UK who have these regulations and think, okay, yeah, if I'm going to be going to space, I want to do it from there. So I think for me, that will be success, that will be us here at Cornwall, starting to set that pace, and to help the UK fill that global niche and I think there is a big opportunity in there. I think for us, it's space for good, you know, bringing space down to earth, opening up the general public's eyes to how they can be involved in space, how they use it every single day and how they have an opinion you know, of what had does happen as humans start to go out and so for me, that's definitely what success will look like UK wide. Personally, it means a lot. My team is very small. It's really passionate about what this means for Cornwall and the people in Cornwall and I think I'm just really proud of how we've handled ourselves. It's been a roller coaster, it's been very dramatic, there's been ups and downs, but we've always kept to our purpose of good space and doing it for communities here in Cornwall and so for me, I'm just massively, massively proud of my team and my family who supported me, you know, it's, it's not easy, it's been complete dedication to the role, which means I don't get to do the school run as much as I'd love to do and I don't get to be in every family meal that I would love to. But it's so important for me as a woman to do this role, which a lot of you know, it's mainly men that do it, to show that, you know, I can be a mum and I can have a job like this and I can do it in a way that I'm proud of as well and slightly differently than potentially a man would have approached it in the past. So I think for me, it's, it's quite a personal thing, and that I have a responsibility to kind of open that door to women behind coming up behind me.
Stuart Martin 37:15
Well, thank you very much, Melissa. I think that's a brilliant point to end on there. So thank you. That was great. Thank you to Dan, Matthew and Melissa for that fantastic insight into all the work that has gone into making this launch possible, and the huge opportunities that it presents for the UK and organisations across the world in delivering the benefits of space to everyone very much looking forward to seeing you all again after the launch. To hear future episodes of In-Orbit, be sure to subscribe on your favourite podcast app and to find out more about how spaces in empowering industries between episodes visit the Catapult website or join us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.