A rocket-powered spaceplane could make regular flights to the edge of space from Cornwall Airport Newquay, after Spaceport Cornwall signed a deal with New Zealand firm Dawn Aerospace.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) covers a project called Dash UK, short for Dawn Aerospace Suborbital Horizontal UK Launch Programme. The BBC reported that the aim is reusable access to suborbital space from the UK. Travel PR News reported that the document was signed on 19 October.
It is an exploratory agreement. It is not approval for launches, and it does not confirm when a service might start.
What is Aurora?
The vehicle is Dawn Aerospace’s Aurora, an unmanned craft about 5m long. The BBC said it is designed to climb to around 100km and to fly faster than Mach 3.7, roughly 2,840mph.
Unlike a conventional rocket, it takes off and lands on an ordinary runway. Satcom.Digital reported that it is built for a turnaround of as little as four hours.
That is the basis for the claim that it could go to space twice in a day. Spaceport Cornwall told the BBC that the craft could be used for commercial, defence, scientific and atmospheric research flights, as well as technology demonstrations.
Cargo capacity is limited to 15kg. Bdaily reported that each flight would give more than two minutes of microgravity for research and development work.
What happens next
Under the MoU, the two organisations will look at the commercial, regulatory and operational requirements for running a routine service from Newquay. CornishStuff reported that they will also work together on customer engagement and future operational planning.
Spaceport Cornwall’s head of engagement, Ross Hulbert, said the partners wanted to make Cornwall “the UK’s gateway for routine suborbital flight”, according to Radio Newquay.
Dawn Aerospace chief executive Stefan Powell said the firm wants space access to become “as routine as aviation”. He told the BBC the MoU was an important step towards bringing that to the UK, with customers able to fly more often and develop ideas faster.
The agreement also feeds into a wider plan to make Cornwall a hub for aerospace innovation. Bdaily said the aim is to attract investment and create skilled jobs.
Bdaily reported that Dawn Aerospace expects its full-performance Aurora to begin flying in 2027.
Sources: BBC News, Bdaily, CornishStuff, Radio Newquay, Satcom.Digital, Travel PR News
This story was compiled by the MDW Newsdesk with AI-assisted tools, using the reporting credited above.
