The Wellcamp Airport in Toowoomba is set to be used as a national spaceport to launch rockets into space from Boeing 747 aircraft by 2024. Source: Virgin Orbit/Greg Robinson.
Toowoomba is set to become the location for a Virgin Orbit site that will launch satellites into space within two years.
An agreement is in place to use the Wellcamp Airport in Toowoomba as a national spaceport to start launching rockets into space from Boeing 747 aircraft by 2024.
Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit and Wagner Corporation, which owns the Wellcamp Airport, announced the agreement has been reached to start the process of making the Queensland airport the third Virgin Orbit site in the world.
Virgin currently has two other space bases, one in the Mojave Desert in the US and another in Cornwall in the UK.
“I’d have to say the state government have been very proactive with this, they’ve been a great help to bring ourselves and Virgin together to make this a reality,” said Wagner Corporation chairman John Wagner.
“It further cements our position around the world… this is a global development as an aerospace defence precinct.”
The companies are targeting the first flights to launch in 16-18 months.
Virgin Orbit’s press release said the joint effort will look to “stimulate local economic growth, support commercial and civil endeavours and provide Australian defence and government with a flexible, responsive and flight-proven national launch capability in support of a wide range of mission applications”.
The next step is to confirm all the approvals and regulations are in place to assemble rockets and satellites at Wellcamp.
“We look to a day soon when satellites fly to space from Australia,” said Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart.
“We’re thrilled to be working alongside Wagner Corporation, one of the region’s most successful privately-owned companies, to bring the first national orbital launch to Australia.
“Combining their deep knowledge of infrastructure development and affinity for aerospace with our proven, responsive LauncherOne system, we have all the ingredients to bring spaceflight to Queensland.”
