Jonathan McDowell has been a load-bearing part of the world’s spaceflight knowledge for more than four decades. His monthly newsletter on the industry – Jonathan’s Space Report – details all upcoming launches and has become an essential resource for everyone from keen amateurs to space professionals, while his library of space industry information and ephemera, which occupies around 90 square metres, is one of the most extensive private collections on the subject in the world.

But now, McDowell is retiring and searching for a new home for this trove. He spoke…