Virgin Orbit selects Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport as first Australian launch site

A regional airport best known for a white elephant quarantine facility will soon have a new claim to fame, as a satellite launch site for Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit.

A regional airport best known for housing a politically fraught quarantine facility will become only the third site in the world to be used by Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit to launch satellites into space.

Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport will join sites in Cornwall, England and California in accommodating satellite launches, using a rocket fired from a Boeing 747.

The first such launch is not expected to take place until 2024, once all regulatory approvals and licensing were in place.

Wellcamp Airport owner John Wagner said the deal came about as a result of Virgin Orbit’s interest in establishing an Australian spaceport, and some help from the Queensland government.

“They did a fair bit of research about what Wellcamp had to offer and when we got talking to them they realised we could offer a hell of a lot more than most people because we have all the plant and equipment there, we have the space, we have good flying days and we’re close to the Pacific Ocean,” he said.

“They were convinced we had the right approach, we were the right people to deal with and we could turn things around quickly.”

Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport was famously built by owners the Wagner family in 19-months in 2013-14. Picture: Supplied

It’s the latest in a string of major coups for the airport which was most notably at the centre of a major political bunfight over the construction of a Covid-19 quarantine facility last year.

Funded by Queensland taxpayers to the tune of $220m, the facility has sat largely empty with alternate uses currently being investigated.

Wellcamp Airport is also home to Australia’s only Qantas pilot-training academy and was recently selected by Boeing as the site of an un-crewed aircraft production facility.

Mr Wagner said he hoped Virgin Orbit would be the first of a long line of space companies to make use of the airport.

“It’s about building a long term business for us, and it’s not just one (satellite) launch, there will be ongoing launches,” he said.

“We see Virgin Orbit as the start of a process for us. With our aerospace and defence precinct, we’re looking at everything from high-end manufacturing and advanced manufacturing to education and research and development.”

Virgin Orbit chief executive Dan Hart said they looked forward to the day when their satellites flew to space from Australia.

“We’re thrilled to be working alongside one of the region’s most successful privately-owned companies to bring the first national orbital launch to Australia,” he said.

“Combining their deep knowledge of infrastructure development and affinity for aerospace with our proven, responsive LauncherOne we have all the ingredients to bring spaceflight to Queensland.”

While most satellite companies used large rockets launched from ground-level pads, Virgin Orbit took a “35,000-foot shortcut” by using smaller rockets fired from a Boeing 747.

The approach meant more satellites could be launched into orbit at a lower cost, and was not as environmentally-unfriendly as it sounded, Mr Wagner said.

“Wellcamp and Wagner Corporation are well advanced in developing sustainable aviation fuel, that’s a massive investment for us, and that will go a long way towards allaying the concerns about the green energy going forward,” he said.

“We’ve committed to have Wellcamp carbon neutral or climate positive by the end of 2024, and that will make us the greenest and most sustainable airport in the country, if not the world.”

Originally published as Virgin Orbit selects Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport as first Australian launch site