Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station
OS Grid ref:-
The largest satellite station in the world, Goonhilly Earth Station is located on the Goonhilly Downs near Helston on the Lizard peninsula.
The station has over 60 dishes on the site enabling it to transmit to every corner of the globe via space, and through undersea fibre optic cables. Goonhilly simultaneously handles millions of international phone calls, emails, and TV broadcasts.
the first dish to be erected on the site, Antenna One (also known as "Arthur" after the legendary king), was built in 1962 to link with Telstar. It was the first open parabolic design and measures 25.9 metres in diameter. Arthur received the first live transatlantic television broadcasts from the United States via the Telstar satellite on July 11, 1962. The site's largest dish, named "Merlin", has a diameter which measures 32 metres. Other dishes include Guinevere, Tristan and Isolde also named in homour of characters in Arthurian legend.
The unique visitor centre at Goonhilly provides an opportunity to explore the story of international communications. Using state of the art technology and interactive media, the visitor can explore some of the exciting developments in international communication. Experience outer space in the virtual image booth; or operate a antenna dish for yourself.
Big Dish Café; Gift shop, communications outlet and indoor/outdoor childrens play area.