UK moving fast in space sciences! UK Space Agency has selected site at Sutherland on A’Mhoine peninsula on north coast of Scotland for its first spaceport to launch rockets
![Sutherland: UK Selects Scottish Site for First Spaceport Sutherland: UK Selects Scottish Site for First Spaceport](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2E4Nz106NUQvcqiJMjdQ60wy1H86xLBM9OyL04tM4zMub-1kIw3-ZsIfDDRsDimRUS4DJITkJe3ioDFqtuhJt-1OnAIMkpPPd9azN5AQBL0OyIHpVbzPJ7xrP0cHu5LsDmjMyrCXYIIO/s400-rw/spaceport.jpg)
vertically and put satellites in orbit.
- For development of this spaceport, UK Government is going to provide $3.3 million funding and will be built with help of consortium of companies.
Details:
- A’Mhoine Peninsula in Sutherland was chosen as most suitable place from which to launch rockets vertically.
- The first rocket launches from this spaceport are planned for early 2020s.
- The site was selected in part due to its beneficial geography.
- Rockets can take direct path from tip of Scottish peninsula to above Arctic Circle.
- This is suitable for launching small satellites particularly, which are often placed in polar orbits, circling Earth and passing over Arctic and Antarctic.
- It is located on coast in sparsely populated area, thus in case of failures rocket will harmlessly fall into the ocean or empty land.
Benefits to UK:
- The spaceport will help UK to grab slice of growing market for small satellite launches.
- UK already has many component and satellite makers and adding ability to launch satellites locally would increase its international appeal.
- The spaceport will help to attract $5 billion spaceflight market into UK’s economy over the next decade.
Where the space launch technology is moving?
- In recent years, new breed of small satellites (nano satellites) have created boom in space launch industry.
- These satellites are often size of shoebox or smaller and far more technologically capable than older, larger models.
- They are cheaper to launch and can be put to range of uses from communications to weather monitoring to scientific experiments.
- It’s estimated that global market for such launches (including supporting infrastructure) is currently worth $339 billion, and will grow eightfold by 2045 to $2.7 trillion.