New Appointments at Cornwall Spaceport Include Interim Head Melissa Thorpe

Given how first the space industry is advancing globally, the new appointment at spaceport Cornwall is a leap forward. Melissa Thorpe is the first female to hold such a prestigious position in the world. She’s suited for the job, given her background in aviation and aerospace. Also, she’s worked for the facility for 7 years.

But wait, there’s more. As the Spaceport Cornwall interim head, she’ll get ample backing from John Paffett, the current interim commercial director. Additionally, she can rely on Luke Winfield, who is the operations manager. 

Who are John Paffett and Luke Winfield at Spaceport Cornwall?

Melissa Thorpe takes over as spaceport Cornwall interim head with John Paffett and Luke Winfield by her side.

John Paffett is an excellent name in the UK’s space industry and he is the current KISPE Space Systems CEO. He brings his expertise here as he started his career in the space industry early on in life and now has extensive experience within the industry. 

He is highly skilled in everything to do with satellites, a significant part of the spaceports purpose.  He understands how they’re designed, made, and operated once in orbit. 

He’s also head of KISPE, a company whose purpose is engineering projects, designing systems, and overseeing their implementation. The goal of this company is to make space less intimidating by increasing accessibility. Additionally, the company aims at promoting its safe and sustainable use by all. 

Luke Winfield, on the other hand, has an extensive background in aviation. He started his career as a pilot. Today, he’s in charge of operations and will oversee the spaceport license application. Moreover, he’s charged with the mandate to apply all space regulations from the UK Space Agency. 

Given how fast the industry is growing in the UK, Winfield will also run the Cornwall Airport operations team. The goal is to ensure a smooth transition of the airport into a spaceport for upcoming launches. 

All in all, the news of the new appointments was welcomed by the head of Cornwall and Isle Scilly Enterprise Partnership. They expressed great admiration for spaceport Cornwall interim heads, Paffett and Winfield. It’s no secret that the spaceport is in great hands given the extensive experience the three executives have in the space industry.