Extinction Rebellion protest as Cornwall Council approves Spaceport funding

Extinction Rebellion activists staged a protest inside Cornwall Council’s County Hall as members agreed to part-fund a new Spaceport.

Campaigners demonstrated from a packed-out public gallery as councillors approved a recommendation to provide £10.3 million of funding towards Spaceport Cornwall.

The project, which will be based at Cornwall Airport Newquay, would be the UK’s first horizontal launch spaceport used to launch small satellites into space.

Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit company has an agreement in place with Cornwall Council to operate from the spaceport from 2021.

The council’s investment will be part of a funding package which also includes money from the UK Space Agency, Virgin Obit and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership.

But campaigners say supporting the spaceport would be contradictory to the council’s decision in January to declare a climate emergency.

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The protest by Extinction Rebellion, which took place earlier this morning, saw campaigners dressed in red costumes and white face-paint as well as a model of a rocket which had crashed nose-first into the council car park.