Physics World May 2023
Lift-off or let-down? Examining the future of UK spaceports
The atmospheric Scottish island of Unst is one of three new sites in the UK from which spacecraft could be launched into space. But with the recent failure of Virgin Orbit to send nine small satellites from Spaceport Cornwall into orbit, this month’s cover feature examines whether spaceports have a role to play in the UK’s growing space sector. Also in the issue, explore the life and times of pioneering nuclear physicist Gertrude Scharff-Goldhaber and join Michael Robertson as he reflects on a 40-year career in the fibre-optics industry.
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- UK spaceports: the good, the bad, the ugly
- The life and science of Gertrude Scharff-Goldhaber
- Telecoms expert disconnects from the network
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