Spaceport Cornwall have created a team of young journalists from across Cornwall to cover the lead up to launch. Krya Hoskin from Looe Community academy is one of the students chosen to report on the launch. 

Each student will have their own specialism - the ‘Launch Crew’ consists of: two podcasters; a video producer; a social media expert; an on-screen reporter; a special media expert and a print journalist. 

After close to 200 entries from secondary school children across Cornwall, the Spaceport Cornwall team had the difficult decision of choosing a winner in each category. Fifteen year old Krya Hoskin was one of them, as well as Rosie Wills from Humphry Davy school for the print journalist; Ryan Woods from Redruth Academy as on-screen reporter; Katie Ireland won the video producer category and Zoe Godfrey and Marcia Ward, both from Treviglas Academy, will be delivering a co-hosted podcast after their incredible competition applications. 

Krya chose to be a part of the social media team as it is an area of interest for her, she will be given the task of documenting the historic road to the first ever launch from UK soil this summer. She said: “Social media is one of the fun ones”

The Launch Crew competition is an essential part to Spaceport Cornwall’s Outreach programme, through which they are on a mission to inspire children across Cornwall and educate them on the prospects of launch. 

The team has been chosen to showcase the opportunities that launch will bring to Cornwall and share the key moments and behind the scenes action in the lead up to lift off. 

Each winner submitted creative and exciting work that showcased their talent for their chosen medium. Kyra submitted a written entry about dark matter. The other students’ entries included a podcast with an interview from Indigenous Australian Astronomer Karlie Noon, a TV news bulletin and a printed report written as if from the future. 

The launch crew will showcase the story of space in Cornwall and the UK through a multi-channel approach - highlighting the breadth of activity related to the space industry. In the lead up to launch they will carry out exclusive interviews with the Spaceport team and its partners, as well as attending key events and documenting milestones. 

The announcement was made on Friday, February 24 at the Royal Cornwall Museum to surprise the winners, who had been invited under the pretence they had made the final of the competition.  

Krya said: “I was very nervous, but excited at the same time” 

Krya plans to bring new ideas to the programme and is eager to start her training and learn about space sustainability, the role of satellites in fighting climate change, the roles of responsibilities of social media and how Cornwall will pioneer the launch. 

Melissa Thorpe, Head of Spaceport Cornwall: “Moments like this are what we are all about. Spaceport Cornwall’s mission is to democratise space for everyone - and the younger generation are the key focus of this ambition. We want to make sure these students know that launch will not only benefit Cornwall in the short-term, but it will open up a world of opportunities long-term. Seeing the excitement in the room today makes the team and I so proud to be bringing space closer to home.” 

The state of the art horizontal, low cost, reusable launch site will grant Cornwall access to space. The runway is one of the longest in the UK and offers environmentally friendly space travel, showcasing the world’s first location in the world that integrates space launch with commercial passenger airline travel.