A company is offering “world first” access to a microgravity environment – in Cornwall.

Gravitilab Aerospace Services Ltd claim to provide up to 20 seconds of microgravity – the condition in which people or objects appear to be weightless – by releasing a so-called drop-pod from 2,000ft.

The firm says staff have successfully paved the way for a new era of microgravity access by engineering the first commercial microgravity service using its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology.

In a test at Predannack airfield on The Lizard peninsula, Gravitilab’s UAV solution ascended and then released the payload within their patent-protected “LOUIS” drop-pod, achieving a period of microgravity – a “world first” for generating a sustained microgravity environment using an UAV system.

Rob Adlard, chief executive and technical director of Gravitilab, said: “The only option for terrestrial microgravity testing until now has been to wait several years for access to a drop tower in Germany, which provides two seconds of microgravity.

“Our service can be delivered locally, is less expensive and as a result of our demonstration flight, we are on target to offer five to 20 seconds of high-quality microgravity using our LOUIS UAV system.”

Gravitilab say the development is a step towards transforming testing across industries from cosmetics to satellites, enabling timely and cost-effective access to gravity-free environments. 

The test, which opens up the world of microgravity research to a new market, was commissioned by Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership to support their ambition to spearhead innovation within the UK space industry, and lead the delivery of UK space and aerospace services.  

Environments that are free from the impact of gravity offer superior research and testing conditions which have proven scientific and commercial benefits.

Making microgravity more accessible allows Gravitilab to offer unique R&D conditions for industries as diverse as pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, building materials, communications, space tech and climate science.

Rob Adlard said: “This is a fantastic collaborative achievement for Gravitilab, the Cornwall Space Cluster, and the UK space industry as a whole.”

Gail Eastaugh, director of the Cornwall Space Cluster, said: “We’re thrilled to have been able to support the achievement of this world first in microgravity testing from Cornwall.

“Cornwall Space Cluster exists to unlock innovation within the space and aerospace sector and companies like Gravitlab are paving the way for the future of the industry.”  

Gravitilab, which is in discussions with new investors, has been funded by the UK Space Agency and private capital.