Wardell Armstrong’s Space Odyssey to Sustainability
Wardell Armstrong have supported Spaceport Cornwall and Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit on their latest venture – the UK’s first licensed Spaceport!
Being the newest airport in the UK and with one of the longest runways at 2,744m, Newquay Airport has been selected as home to a new horizontal launch Spaceport. Within the next few weeks, Cornwall Council and Virgin Orbit hope for orbiting satellites to be launched from a modified Boeing 747 aircraft. Once the aircraft reaches 35,000 ft, a rocket will detach, igniting its boosters and taking its payload of satellites into orbit.
Wardell Armstrong were commissioned to provide a bespoke Sustainability Plan for the Spaceport, to be submitted to the UK Space Agency as part of the project development and permitting. By taking into consideration the effects of the Spaceport on a range of receptors we were able to determine how well the project is likely to accord with low carbon and sustainability policy and objectives, in the context of Cornwall’s declared climate emergency and alignment of the project with the UN Sustainability Goals.
WATCH: Modular Pilot Plant Used for Testing European Tin Project
As part of an ongoing programme of testing on a European tin project, Wardell Armstrong have recently been undertaking a programme of pilot plant testing for flowsheet development at our laboratory in Truro, Cornwall.
The modular design of the Wardell Armstrong Pilot plant has allowed multiple stages of processing including grinding, froth flotation and gravity separation to be integrated into a single stage of testing thus saving time and providing a better indication of potential plant performance. See more below.
