By Peter Tremayne Richard Branson has said it is still not clear what caused his rocket to crash on Monday evening, posing new questions about plans for a Newquay...

By Graham Smith Virgin Orbit has this morning (Tuesday) released very limited information about what went wrong with last night’s test flight of its LauncherOne rocket, upon which rest...

By Peter Tremayne Cornwall Council plans to spend £12 million building a Newquay Spaceport for Richard Branson have suffered a major blow, after the tycoon’s first serious attempt at...

By Peter Tremayne Newquay Airport is to ask Cornwall Council for an increased annual subsidy when it reopens for business in July.  The extra cash is likely to be...

By Peter Tremayne Richard Branson says he is ready to try again this evening (6pm) to fire his LauncherOne rocket for the first time – as Cornwall Council can...

By Graham Smith The clock is ticking down to what Richard Branson hopes will be the first powered flight of his satellite rocket – upon which depend Cornwall Council’s...

By Peter Tremayne Flights between Cornwall and London are due to resume on 2nd July, with British Airways offering a direct connection between Newquay and Heathrow airports.  A one-way...

By Peter Tremayne The chairman of Newquay Airport has warned that the government’s proposal to introduce a 14-day quarantine on anyone entering the country will spell the end of...

By Rashleigh MacFarlane A pattern is emerging: a blitz on social media saying “all systems are go,” followed immediately by some genuinely bad news somewhere else in the Virgin...

By Rashleigh MacFarlane Confusion surrounds the fate of Cornwall’s airline to London, following British Airways’ announcement that it is to shed 12,000 jobs because of the Covid-19 crisis. BA...

By Peter Tremayne Richard Branson has again postponed his first rocket launch in California, as speculation grows over the future of his Virgin Group empire. Mr Branson’s Virgin Orbit...

By Peter Tremayne The tycoon Richard Branson has published an extraordinary open letter to staff of his Virgin Atlantic airline – including the Virgin Connect airline, which is proposing...

By Anne North Nearly 50,000 people have already rushed to sign a petition calling on the government not to rescue Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic airline. Mr Branson, who was...

By Julia Penhaligon A new taxpayer-funded route from Newquay Airport to London is imminent, according to Cornwall Council leader Julian German. However, Mr German told a thinly-attended cabinet meeting...

By Richard Whitehouse Cornwall Council may have to pay more to keep Newquay airport open following the collapse of regional airline FlyBe. The warning was made to councillors just...

By Peter Tremayne The difficulties facing Newquay Airport following the collapse of Flybe have been thrown into sharp relief by the publication of new figures which show an 11%...

By Peter Tremayne Newquay Airport bosses are expecting to be called to an emergency meeting tomorrow morning (Thursday) amid strong rumours that Flybe will collapse tonight.  About 2,000 jobs...

By Julia Penhaligon Richard Branson has admitted to some “frustrations” as his Virgin Orbit project remains firmly rooted to the ground in California – posing questions about the future...

By Graham Smith The government has asked the private company Air Charter to stand by to rescue any Flybe passengers who might become stranded if the airline collapses.  A...

By Rashleigh MacFarlane British Airways is launching a summer route between London Heathrow and Newquay, creating the only direct route to Heathrow.  The service will run between 2nd July...

By Peter Tremayne A government decision is imminent on whether to offer Flybe a £100 million loan, to help rescue the struggling airline.  The loan would be in addition...

By Graham Smith The date for Richard Branson’s first test flight of his LauncherOne rocket has slipped again, but this time by only a few days – raising hopes...

By Peter Tremayne Flybe is to introduce new flights between Newquay and Amsterdam, and increase services to Manchester and Edinburgh, as part-compensation for the loss of its connection to...

By Graham Smith It’s official – nearly – that Flybe is to abandon its Heathrow airport landing slots.  Passengers from Newquay will instead be offered flights to Gatwick. The...

By Rashleigh MacFarlane The St Francis dogs home, Porth, Newquay, is to close its kennel doors to new admissions with immediate effect – and is looking for new homes...

By Graham Smith The government has buckled to demands by Richard Branson for a £100 million tax-break to keep the troubled regional airline Flybe operational. The deal still leaves...

By Richard Whitehouse The leader of Cornwall Council has ruled out the possibility of the authority operating flights to London saying it would be a “stretch too far.” Julian...

By Anne North Today (Tuesday) looks like being make-or-break for the troubled airline Flybe, which connects Newquay to London’s Heathrow airport and other major UK cities. Crunch talks involving...

By Peter Tremayne A World War 2 Lancaster bomber is being rebuilt at Newquay airport.  Replica Aircraft Fabrications, based at Newquay’s AeroHub, is searching for spare parts to help...

By Richard Whitehouse Cornwall’s biggest music festival has submitted plans to remain at its current home for the next five years. Boardmasters, which takes place in August on a...

By Graham Smith Richard Branson has again delayed his first attempt at putting a rocket into orbit, as an April deadline for Cornwall Council’s capital budget approaches and questions...

By Anne North Richard Branson has admitted he is still “not quite ready” to launch his rocket for the first time, as tensions rise at County Hall over the...

By Peter Tremayne Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit project will stay stuck in the Californian desert for at least the rest of the year. The tycoon has confirmed that his...

By Julia Penhaligon A crowdfunding campaign to raise cash for 100 staff at Fifteen Cornwall has so far attracted £3,400, in a bid to soften the pre-Christmas blow of...

By Peter Tremayne The man who has masterminded the growth of Newquay Airport over the past 10 years has resigned to take up a new position at Birmingham Airport....

A year is a long time in space politics.  Above, the official forecast number of jobs in 2018, while beneath, the official report going to councillors on Tuesday.

By Anne North Cornwall Council is hoping to develop an alternative “Plan B” and a “Plan C” for its Newquay spaceport project in the event that Richard Branson is...

By Graham Smith Another year goes by.  Richard Branson’s first attempt to get a rocket into orbit has been delayed again, until 31st December at the earliest. Within days...

By Peter Tremayne The government last night handed over millions of pounds to tax-exile Richard Branson to help subsidise his planned use of a spaceport at Newquay. Science minister...

By Julia Penhaligon Richard Branson has further delayed the first test flight of his LauncherOne rocket, even as a senior executive from Virgin Orbit was telling Cornwall councillors that...

By Graham Smith Richard Branson might not have been able to launch any satellites, so far, but that has not stopped him launching a new company intended to visit...

By Rashleigh MacFarlane It looks as if a special “spaceport” briefing for Cornwall councillors, scheduled for next Friday (1st November), will have to be held in the absence of...

By Graham Smith One of the world’s most talked-about horizontal-launch spaceflight companies has been taken over by a mystery buyer, months after ceasing operations and laying off most of...

By Graham Smith An American defence company last night successfully put a NASA satellite into orbit, having taken off – horizontally - from Cape Canaveral, Florida.  The success of...

By Graham Smith Some of the technical challenges facing any horizontal-launch satellite system will come under scrutiny within the next 24 hours – with important lessons for anyone hoping...

By Graham Smith A $252 million satellite is due to be blasted into orbit this week, from underneath the wing of a giant Lockheed Stargazer aircraft, taking off from...

By Julia Penhaligon Richard Branson has promised a “nominal launch in the very near future” of his LauncherOne rocket, as he bids to reach space for the first time....

By Rashleigh MacFarlane The government has announced more cash for a Newquay spaceport – but has awarded even larger sums to rival operations in Scotland and Wales. The news...

By Graham Smith Supporters of plans to build a spaceport at Newquay say they are confident that Cornwall Council will contribute £12 million when the project comes before a...

Northrop's Pegasus system is nearly 30 years ahead of the Virgin Orbit horizontal-launch system - but Northrop does not need a spaceport at Newquay

By Graham Smith Plans to build a spaceport in Cornwall could come grinding to a halt today (Wednesday) when Cornwall Council’s cabinet meets to consider contributing £12 million towards...

By Graham Smith A full-scale arm-twisting and public relations operation is underway at County Hall to persuade the ten Cornwall Council cabinet members that they must vote in favour...

By Graham Smith The stage is set for Cornwall Council’s ruling cabinet to debate, for the first time, its policy towards a proposed Newquay spaceport when its 10 members...