UK spaceport could launch within five years
Plans to build a UK spaceport have been approved by the government. Science Minister David Willets says he wants a spaceport up and running in the next five to ten years, to capitalise on the growing space tourism industry.
The plans form part of the government's wider strategy to grow the UK space industry to £40billion by 2030. The announcements were made in response to an industry report published last year called the Space Innovation and Growth Strategy Action Plan.
Willetts said the space sector could 'propel' UK growth. "Space industries already support 95,000 full time jobs and generate £9.1bn for the economy each year, and our response to the Growth Action Plan shows our commitment to secure its future growth and realise ambitions to develop a viable UK spaceport for commercial space flight," he commented.
It is hoped that Virgin Galactic and other emerging space tourism companies will start operating services from the new port, which will also act as a satellite launch centre.
No sites have been allocated as yet, although Willets said it was unlikely that the launchpad would be located in the south east. "We want an area where there is not much civil airspace, where it is not very busy," he continued. "It might be smaller airports, it might be underused or disused RAF airfields. We're starting to look at relatively remote parts of the country."
