A peninsula on Scotland’s north coast has been chosen for the site of the UK’s first spaceport

Vertical rocket and satellite launches are planned from the A’Mhoine peninsula in Sutherland which the UK Space Agency said would pave the way for spaceflights. Highlands and Islands Enterprise , the Scottish Government's economic and community development agency will be given £2.5 million ($3.3 million) towards the development of the facility, the U.K. Space Agency announced.In a statement issued in advance of the start of the Farnborough International Airshow, the agency said it selected the site “because Scotland is the best place in the U.K. to reach highly sought-after satellite orbits with vertically launched rockets.” The site supports rocket launches for spacecraft operating in sun-synchronous or other highly inclined orbits.There was some mention of an announcement possibly being made at the Farnborough 2018 Airshow, but it was unconfirmed at the time. The UK Space Agency will be giving Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) £2.5 million for this initial stage of the project, which the UK government says "will use a combination of proven and innovative rocket technologies to pave the way for a world-leading spaceflight market." Sutherland is the first vertical launch site to be awarded grant money, ahead of other vertical sites at Unst, Shetland, and North Uist in the Western Isles. However, looking at new sites for vertical launches gave the government Scotland and possibly the Shetland Islands.But, besides the funding for the Scotland site, the British government will also offer 2 million pounds to support the development of horizontal launch sites “subject to business case.” One such site under consideration is Cornwall Airport Newquay in southwestern England.On July 15, officials at Cornwall Airport Newquay announced they were entering into a partnership with Virgin Orbit that will allow that company’s air-launched LauncherOne system to operate from the airport, dubbed Spaceport Cornwall. “This will build on our global reputation for manufacturing small satellites and help the whole country capitalise on the huge potential of the commercial space age.”

According to the UK Space Agency, the spaceflight market could be worth £3.8bn to the economy over the next decade. That agreement will be signed at Farnborough on Monday.“The announcement of a strategic partnership between Virgin Orbit and Cornwall Spaceport is great news for the region and the U.K.’s ambitions for regular, reliable and responsible access to space,” said U.K. Science Minister Sam Gyimah in a statement from Spaceport Cornwall.“This partnership could see Virgin Orbit’s innovative horizontal launch technology helping the U.K.’s small satellite industry access space from the convenience of a Spaceport in Cornwall.”Space agency chief executive Graham Turnock said this great news is all part of the "kickstart of an exciting new era for the U.K. space industry, and this is only the beginning of our LaunchUK campaign." “As a nation of innovators and entrepreneurs, we want Britain to be the first place in mainland Europe to launch satellites as part of our Industrial Strategy,” said Business Secretary Greg Clark “This will build on our global reputation for manufacturing small satellites and help the whole country capitalize on the huge potential of the commercial space age.” Charlotte Wright, the chief executive of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, on hearing the announcement said, “The decision to support the U.K.’s first spaceport in Sutherland is tremendous news for our region and for Scotland as a whole. “The U.K.’s thriving space industry, research community and aerospace supply chain put the U.K. in a leading position to develop both vertical and horizontal launch sites.”“This will build on our global reputation for manufacturing small satellites and help the whole country capitalize on the huge potential of the commercial space age.”Charlotte Wright, the chief executive of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, on hearing the announcement said, “The decision to support the U.K.’s first spaceport in Sutherland is tremendous news for our region and for Scotland as a whole.
The UK Space Agency announces that the country's first spaceport will be located in Sutherland, northern Scotland, with the first launches potentially taking place in the early 2020s.