Spaceport Cornwall and the UK’s National Drone Hub are to extend the airspace they use for drone testing, including establishing an area suitable for testing large autonomous unmanned aircraft.
The National Drone Hub at Predannack Airfield Cornwall, which opened in 2022 is a CAA-accredited drone test and evaluation site operated by the company WholeShip and the UK’s Royal Navy. The site includes 8,000 square kilometres of segregated maritime airspace off the Lizard Peninsula and facilities and areas for testing and developing drones.
The collaboration with Spaceport Cornwall, which is the UK’s first licensed spaceport will extend the Drone Hub’s testing capabilities by writing a Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) – a safety framework required for complex drone operations – at Newquay.
The 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 increased size of the airspace would enable operations and testing of larger, high-speed uncrewed vehicles, including those travelling at supersonic speeds.
Amy Smith, managing director at Cornwall Airport Newquay said, “This joint project combines the expertise of two pioneering aerospace teams delivering national firsts in space and future air systems.”
Helen Stembridge, director at Wholeship said: “We are delighted to be working with Spaceport Cornwall to support and develop this dual use opportunity to benefit the airport, the county and the region.”
