Stornoway in running for space travel base 15/7/14
Stornoway has been named as one of just eight locations being considered to base Britain’s first spaceport.
The aim is to have a facility ready to send star ships over 62 million miles above the Earth by 2018.
Launching satellites would be the main business at the aerodrome through space tourism is a growing market.
By 2030, the wider UK space industry estimated to be worth £40 billion and provide 100,000 jobs.
By catching the “first wave” of space travel, the hope is to become a leading European
centre which could entice the likes of Richard Branson - who is seeking an European
base for his Virgin Galactic enterprise.
Specialist American operator XCor is developing its two-seater Lynx spacecraft plane
and is interested in setting up business on this side of the Atlantic.
In addition to Stornoway, the other coastal locations that could be used for a spaceport include airports at Campbeltown, Prestwick, Kinloss, Leuchars, Lossiemouth as well as Cornwall in England and Llanbedr Airport in Wales.
The possibilities identified in a review by the Civil Aviation Authority will now be the focus of a Department for Transport consultation.
One factor includes having the launch pad away from densely populated areas “in order to minimise impact on the uninvolved general public.”
The CAA report said: “Spaceplanes are widely acknowledged as the most likely means
of enabling commercial spaceflight experience or, as it is widely known, ‘space tourism’
- in the near future.
“They also have the potential to transform the costs and flexibility of satellite launches, and the delivery of cargo and scientific payloads.
“Several operators have indicated that their spaceplanes will be ready to commence operations within the next five to ten years; several have also indicated their desire to operate from the UK.”
New legislation is also needed to deal with the emerging industry. Present laws do not address spaceplanes so they would be classified as ‘experimental aircraft.’
► Galactic flights carries risks