AEROSPACE
CORNWALL
Cornwall’s mining industry is soaring to
new heights
With a history of mining dating back to the early Bronze Age, Cornwall’s mining and exploration industry has been one of the cornerstones of the region.
across all aspects of the sector, exploration, mining and geotechnics, are embracing new tech and new applications of existing technologies to help aid and drive this forward.
By the 1800s Cornwall was not only the mining centre of the world, famous for its base metal and tin production and boasting the richest square mile on Earth, but also home to some of the most forward-thinking engineers of the time – engineers who harnessed new and evolving technology to revolutionize the mining industry.
Thanks to funding from AeroSpace Cornwall, in particular, companies have been exploiting the techniques and technologies emerging from the Cornish Space and Aerospace industries to reach new heights, as Cornwall becomes a cornerstone of the UK Space industry.
A key part of the industry’s success was the use of these new and emerging technologies taken from all sectors: expanding the application of the mining practices and processes for the benefit of the local economy – leading to Cornish expertise, minerals and technology being exported across the globe. It is this adventurous and disruptive spirit that is driving the recent rise of active mining and exploration in Cornwall. Businesses
Part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, AeroSpace Cornwall is helping innovative businesses boost their offering: enabling them to pivot into the space and aerospace sectors via funding and support. This synergy between mining and space spans across all levels of the supply chain – bringing unexpected industries together. From component manufacturing to final end data users, initial mineral exploration (green & brown field), extraction and mine closure through the application of satellite and drone EO data,
lidar and hyperspectral – the pioneering spirit of the new age of mining comes from the collaboration of businesses with all manner of specialisms. Those with no previous background in the industry are seeing the potential of this resurgence and how they can fit into this unique cross-industry cluster, and this mutually beneficial relationship is paving the way for the next generation of research and development – exporting technology worldwide and boosting Cornwall’s economy. In Cornwall, drones are being used to survey inaccessible areas such as cliff faces, allowing the monitoring of geotechnical stability issues and land mass movement. Businesses are also utilising satellite data to aid with mineral exploration, combining this with traditional exploration and mapping techniques to help increase efficiency and confidence. Not only does Cornwall have the potential to produce some of the critical raw materials that the space and aerospace manufacturing supply chain rely on, but businesses are starting to use technology more commonly attributed with the space industry: finding new applications and opening up new intersectoral possibilities. Cornish Lithium – an innovative mineral exploration and research and development company – is one of the key businesses emerging within this new chapter. Having benefited from an R&D grant from AeroSpace Cornwall, it uses satellite and drone data to undertake mineral mapping and structural interpretation. The business has reinterpreted the mineral potential of Cornwall for lithium, combining traditional industry practices with cutting edge technology. Not only has it harnessed technology and big data from the space and aerospace sectors but, by re-evaluating historic mining areas in the region for lithium
12 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
