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Cornwall will boldly go where no holiday hotspot has gone before – by taking tourism to the stars as home of Europe’s first spaceport.

The UK Space Agency has confirmed it is drafting regulations to allow sub-orbital flights from a site in Newquay.

The trips will allow passengers to experience weightlessness and view the curvature of the planet.

The move could mean flight times between the UK to Australia being slashed from at least 22 hours to 90 minutes.

British astronaut Tim Peake, 47, said it is “incredibly important” for us to lead the way in space tourism.

(Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

He said: “For Britain to be the first spaceport in Europe to be able to offer that service because we have the legislation in place, because we’ve sorted out our infrastructure, that will be huge.”

The move comes after the Government agreed to launch satellites from our soil and a deal was signed with Virgin Orbit to start building horizontal launch sites.

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A spaceport is also planned in the Highlands and Virgin Galactic is likely to operate tourist flights.

Sir Richard Branson’s company plans horizontal launches while rivals intend to take tourists to space by rocket.

Major Tim Peake added: “It’s a very exciting time right now. Space tourism can come under some criticism as a sport for the rich but that’s how a lot of things start, that’s how aviation started.

“What might be perceived as an expensive folly today actually can in future become a very efficient means of transportation.

"If you extend Virgin Galactic’s principle and improve vehicles, you could do London to Sydney in 90 minutes.”

UK Space Agency’s Andrew Kuh said: “The Space Industry Act 2018 has already put in place the legal framework.

"We’re hoping to have the right regulations in place so that we could launch from Britain.”