Cornwall to the Moon: How Goonhilly Earth Station is reaching out to deep space

Tucked away on the Lizard Peninsula lies one of Cornwall’s most extraordinary sites — Goonhilly Earth Station. Once a symbol of mid-20th-century innovation, and famous for moments such as the Live Aid concert being shared around the world in 1986, this iconic array of satellite dishes is now firmly back on the global stage, playing a key role in deep space communications and lunar missions.

From its early fame broadcasting the first live transatlantic TV images in 1962, Goonhilly has continually evolved.

Today, it is helping to write the next chapter in space history, working alongside the likes of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Intuitive Machines to support missions to the Moon and beyond. Most notably, Goonhilly recently supported several cubesats as part of NASA’s Artemis programme, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface, and eventually establish a sustainable human presence on the moon.

To enable such services, Goonhilly has undergone significant upgrades. In 2021, the most iconic dish on site, GHY-6 (’Goonhilly Six’), was  retrofitted to communicate with spacecraft millions of miles away. These upgrades required not only the installation of cutting-edge technology, but also substantial groundwork: from modernising legacy infrastructure to clearing the way for new systems to be put in place.

Here at Henry Orchard & Sons, we’ve been privileged to play a small role, along with other local businesses. Working with contractors and teams on site, we helped to responsibly remove and recycle disused materials — everything from legacy cabling and surplus steel to obsolete satellite components.

This recycling and reusing materials not only supports sustainability goals but also helps create space, quite literally, for the next generation of space technology. 

The work at Goonhilly also extends beyond lunar ambitions. The company also offers services across commercial satellite communications, defence and security support, and data centre solutions. As a rapidly growing local business, with partnerships across governments and business around the world,  they are bringing high-value jobs and cutting-edge innovation to Cornwall.

As Goonhilly looks to the stars, it also remains deeply rooted in its local community. The site’s success depends not just on engineers and developers, but also on the support and collaboration of the region’s businesses — like Henry Orchard & Sons — who bring practical solutions to the table.

To think that Cornwall, long known for its past in mining and maritime industries, is now playing a role in missions to the Moon and Mars is truly inspiring.

Learn more about Goonhilly’s mission into deep space: https://www.goonhilly.org/deep-space