After 2020, the UK will get the first spaceport - in Scotland

Original author: Laura Paterson
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Source: Jonathan Amos
A'Mhoine, Sutherland - the future pivotal road to space.

On the A'Mhoyn peninsula on the northern coast of Scotland will be the first in the United Kingdom launch pad vertical start. According to the UK Space Agency (UK Space Agency; UKSA), the point located between Durness and Tong will make it possible to successfully launch satellites to most of the sought-after orbits.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will receive a high-priority government grant of £ 2.5 million to build a launch in Sutherland; Subsequent grants are intended for sites on Anste , Shetland Islands, and North Uiste , Western Islands.

Additionally, the government announced a fund of £ 2 million to finance the construction of horizontal launches throughout Britain: Prestwick , Ayrshire; Newquay , Cornwall; Campbeltown , Argyll and Bute; Llabedr, Gwyneth, Wales; the money will go to companies that have submitted real business plans. It is expected that in this way it will be possible to stimulate the development of suborbital tourism, the satellite launch market, as well as the development of spaceplanes.

UKSA believes that the space services sector could bring the British economy about 3.8 billion pounds over the next decade. “The funds invested by the state will give a powerful impetus to our space industry, this is the beginning of a new era,” adds the executive director of the agency Graham Turnnok.

“As a nation of inventors and entrepreneurs, we see gaining first place in Europe in terms of the number of launches as a part of our strategy,” says Economy Minister Greg Clark. in the field of vertical and horizontal starts. "

Charlotte Wright, executive director of HIE: “The fact that the first site in the UK will be in Sutherland is a tremendous event not only for the region, but for the whole of Scotland as a whole. Therefore, we must be sure that we will not miss the benefits of such a wonderful opportunity, because the significance of everything connected with space is increasing on a global scale. ”
However, in addition to local firms in the consortium will take part and the American Lockheed Martin.

The news about the choice of space for the cosmodrome appeared the day after the head of one of the largest trade organizations in the field of aerospace warned Britain about the possible "erosion" of investments in industries such as space, defense and security, unless a mutually beneficial agreement with the EU about Brexit.

“If operating costs in the country increase, then the investment attractiveness of any projects will naturally fall,” said Paul Everett, executive director of the ADS Group, in an interview for the BBC. “After all, this is work for the long term. And when it comes to talking about large sums, we start to look not too good. If this goes on like this, our positions will seriously shake. ”

However, according to government reports, the United Kingdom’s space-related economy has been growing five times faster than the economy as a whole over the last few decades.

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