I love being able to report good news and I heard some very good news yesterday. So much so that I think I’ve upset all my Twitter followers by bombarding them with tweets – I apologise! (a quick “Thank You” to @DocLorraine, @DrLucyRogers and @stewartwardby for responding so quickly).
What was so good that it got me all excited? As readers of my previous blog posts will know I’ve been an active campaigner for the last few months promoting Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd’s (GES) plans to transform the historic ex-BT earth station site. Yesterday’s magnificent news announcement by Nick Clegg, UK Deputy Prime Minister, was that the Government has given the go-ahead for GES to receive £6.85m from the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) to re-purpose the existing antennas for use in radio astronomy research and deep space communications (missions to Mars, other planets, asteroids etc).
This is the start of establishing the Goonhilly Space Science Park comprising a space-communications gateway, an open innovation centre, a training establishment and a re-vitalised, space-themed visitor centre – all aimed at inspiring future generations and attracting 100,000 new scientists & engineers into the growing space-sector business over the next 20 years (as contained in the UK’s Space-Innovation & Growth Strategy – defined in 2010).
It was not only GES that received good news. Avanti PLC (owner and operator of the HYLAS Ka-Band satellite system) was also successful in its bid to Government to enhance its operations and facilities at the Goonhilly site. So congratulations to both GES Ltd an Avanti PLC!
The official UK Government press release is here.
A BBC News article is here.
A “This is Cornwall” news article is here.
Thank you to all the 1,939 people from all over the world who signed the online petition to the UK Government in support of this GES Ltd project.
