Spaceport Cornwall and National Drone Hub Launch Pioneering UK Autonomy Project

Spaceport Cornwall, the UK’s first licensed spaceport, has commenced work on a groundbreaking project with the National Drone Hub to establish a unique testing environment for uncrewed aerial systems.

The National Drone Hub, operated by WholeShip in partnership with the Royal Navy, is the UK’s first Civil Aviation Authority accredited drone test site, providing access to a 320-hectare site with four runways and over 8,000 square kilometres of segregated airspace off the Lizard Peninsula. This extensive maritime airspace already supports comprehensive testing and evaluation of drone technologies in a controlled environment.

Building on this foundation, the collaboration with Spaceport Cornwall | Cornwall Airport Newquay will now extend testing capabilities. The team is working to establish a Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) – a safety framework required for complex drone operations – at Newquay.

Supported by funding from Cornwall Space Cluster, this project could provide access to segregated airspace off the north coast of Cornwall from Newquay to enable Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone test and evaluation. The scale of the airspace would enable operations of larger, high-speed uncrewed vehicles, including those travelling at supersonic speeds.

The two sites in Cornwall would create unparalleled drone testing environments to develop and certify next-generation autonomous systems, from small-scale drones through to supersonic uncrewed vehicles.

Amy Smith, Managing Director at Cornwall Airport Newquay, said: “This joint project combines the expertise of two pioneering aerospace teams in Cornwall delivering national firsts in space and future air systems.”

Helen Stembridge, Director at Wholeship said: “We are delighted to be working with Spaceport Cornwall/Cornwall Airport Newquay to support and develop this dual use opportunity to benefit the airport, the county and the region.”

Gail Eastaugh, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Cornwall Space Cluster, said: “This collaboration offers an incredible opportunity for us to further cement Cornwall’s place at the forefront of UK space and aerospace operations, and Cornwall Space Cluster is proud to support this groundbreaking project.” 

The project demonstrates Cornwall’s growing position as a critical hub for cutting-edge aerospace technology and operations, and aligns with Spaceport Cornwall’s wider mission to be Europe’s future air and space solution, providing flexible, low-cost, resilient and safe access to space whilst supporting aerospace innovation.

Source: Spaceport Cornwall