ROCKET launches could soon be a regular occurrence over the Swindon horizon.

Pie in the sky? Well not according to the Science Museum Swindon, which is today launching its bid to secure almost £50m in lottery cash.

The museum's Inspired project will lay out plans to regenerate the 545-acre site on the Second World War airfield in Wroughton.

Inspired aims to create a brand new interactive museum by 2010 and is one of six projects bidding for funding from the Big Lottery to be voted by the public at the end of the year.

The funding will be used to bring human stories and moments of genius to life by drawing on the 200,000 iconic objects and artefacts which have been previously inaccessible to the public.

Drawing on the experience and skills of the Science Museum in London, Inspired will also put on spectacular tours, workshops, themed dramas and science shows all year round.

"Inspired will not only provide a brand new type of museum with access to previously unseen inventions and innovations, it will also inspire generations of scientists to step up to the challenges of our world," said Martin Earwicker, director of the National Museum of Science and Industry, who will host today's launch.

"More than a museum, Inspired will be a marvellous, interactive spectacle, a treasure trove of vast, iconic objects that have shaped and continue to shape the past, present and future of our world.

"All of this will, of course, be housed within a sustainable, environmentally-friendly building."

The launch comes after Viridor Credits, the Swindon-based charitable arm of Viridor Waste Manage-ment, announced its pledge to donate £1m as part of the match funding required for the museum's lottery bid.

Ten acres of the site has already been named after the company in recognition of its role as a founding funder of the project.

"Viridor are proud and excited to be a founding supporter of Inspired because it's a project that we believe will provide so much fun, as well as valuable learning for everyone.

"It is such an important project for anyone who has ever had an X-ray, played a games console or driven a car, so anyone who has relied upon science and technology for any reason."

Today's launch will also include a show by the Science Museum's hugely popular Punk Science team, made famous by their appearances on the Discovery Channel.

Their show will provide an example of the fun, science-based programming that will be common place at Inspired.

And pupils from a Swindon school will also be giving their feedback on Inspired.

Three pupils from Hreod Parkway will be representing the Young Ambassador Team, which has provided advice on the project from a young person's perspective.

Scott Drew, of Hreod, said: "We are really excited about Inspired and the opportunities that it will provide for schoolchildren like us.

"I think it will make science a much more exciting subject and to have it on the edge of Swindon is brilliant."

Detailed plans of the £60m Inspired project will be submitted next month and the bid will go up against five other schemes via a live X-Factor-style show in December.

Graham Nichols, of the museum, said Inspired would bring huge benefits to Swindon if successful.

He said: "I think it will be great for Swindon. As well as opening up a superb collection of historical items for the people of Swindon, it will be a huge educational centre right on their doorstep.

"This really is a unique opportunity for us to inspire the next generation of scientists.

"The great thing about our site is that we have so much open space and it will enable us to run workshops all year round.

"We will also be able to launch rockets 100ft up into the air as opposed to 10ft, which we can only do indoors in London. It will bring together 200,000 objects from the Science Museum's reserve collection and will allow us to put on themed shows for members of the public and schools.

"It is a very exciting project."