Adventure-seeking Brits will this week come a step closer to checking in for flights into outer space.
Business Secretary Greg Clark is set to announce that Sutherland, on Scotland’s north coast, has been chosen as the site for the UK’s first spaceport.
It will initially host launches of space rockets and satellites, but commercial passenger travel could then follow, getting Brits that little bit close to an out-of-this-world trip.
Sutherland sits on Scotland’s north coast and has been chosen as the site for the UK’s first spaceport
New space station will host launches of space rockets and satellites, while framework for passenger trips is yet to be created
Mr Clark will say at this week’s Farnborough Air Show that this is the start of a ‘new British Space Age’.
Sutherland beat off competition from Prestwick, Ayrshire, Unst in the Shetlands and Newquay airport, Cornwall.
The spaceport will provide the infrastructure needed for space tourism, though a regulatory framework for passenger trips has yet to be created, the Daily Mirror reported.
The move is backed by the specialist technical staff union Prospect, GMB and Unite. Mr Clark hopes Britain’s share of the global space economy will increase from 6.5 per cent to 10 per cent by 2030.
Spaceport could take Brits one step closer to space travel and an out-of-this-world trip
It is estimated that the space flight market could bolster the UK economy by £4 billion in the next 10 years.
The proposal comes as trade organisations such as ADS Group said Britain could face an erosion of investment in its space security and defence sectors unless a good Brexit deal is struck with the EU.
Paul Everitt, chief executive of ADS Group, said British manufacturers’ ability to attract investment will be ‘diminished’ if the negotiations fail.
Mr Everitt warned that the securing of a comprehensive deal with Brussels will be key to ensure investment continues to flow to UK firms operating in sectors like space.
The new spaceport is set to start a ‘new British Space Age’ according to Mr Clark
‘If the costs of operating in the UK become higher, then our ability to attract new investment will be diminished’, he told the BBC.
‘We are a long term industry. When a big investment decision comes along we are not in such a good place. If it continues we could see an erosion of our position.’
Nearly a fifth of the UK’s space industry is based in Scotland, and Glasgow builds more satellites than any other city in Europe. A consortium submitted a proposal for Sutherland to the UK Space Agency saying the A’Mhoine peninsular was ideal for launching satellites into orbit.
The Space Industry Bill cleared its Commons stages in March, paving the way for the new spaceport.
Transport minister Jo Johnson said: ‘This puts us at the forefront of the new space race. It helps us to compete as the destination of choice for satellite companies worldwide.’
They expect to be able to collar business from the military, government and private industry.
SNP MP Dr Philippa Whitford said: ‘Launches are currently carried out from Kazakhstan.
‘Easy launch access from Scotland would benefit the commercial satellite industry right across the UK.’