A series of public exhibitions will be taking place over the next year to highlight the potential of Cornwall’s fledgling space industry.

Spaceport Cornwall is line to receive a £150k grant from the Government to help fund its outreach programme, with the first exhibition launching at Cornwall Airport Newquay next week (August 2).

The programme hopes to reach more than 700,000 people, including at least 10,000 students. The first interactive event will tell the ‘Story of a Satellite: journey of a UK satellite’ and will feature Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne replica rocket.

Aimed at shining a spotlight on the innovation taking place – from sustainable launch to space debris removal technologies – visitors will be able to engage with key businesses and organisations pioneering the next era of space exploration – including the UK Space Agency, OneWeb, D-orbit, Surrey Satellites, Sierra Space, Skyrora, Proto Launch, Goonhilly Earth Station, Avanti Communications, University of Exeter, Eden Project, Astroscale and the Satellite Applications Catapult.

There will also be the opportunity to learn more about Kernow Sat 1 – the UK’s first community satellite which is set to be launched from Spaceport Cornwall in 2022.

The exhibit will be open to the general public and it is expected to host around 15,000 visitors during the summer, including many local schools.

A second exhibition – ‘Step Into Space’ – will be hosted at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro later in the year, while a third expo will take place at the Eden Project.

Interim head of Spaceport Cornwall, Melissa Thorpe, said: “We were honoured to welcome world leaders to our hangar during G7 and we’re now thrilled to be able to welcome the next generation of leaders in STEM, and beyond, to these exhibits. We want to demonstrate the positive impact space can have on us all and lead the way in engaging communities both locally and globally.”