Spaceport Location Shortlist Cut To Six

Six sites which could become Britain's first spaceport have been announced by the UK Government. The shortlist has been cut from the eight named last July following a three-month consultation. The six sites are now Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute, Glasgow Prestwick in South Ayrshire and Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, as well as Newquay in Cornwall and Llanbedr in north Wales. RAF Leuchars in Fife was also confirmed as a potential temporary facility. Two airfields at RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks in Moray have been ruled out by the Government for "overriding military operational factors". The aim is to have an operational spaceport by 2018, which could be used to launch tourists into space as well as commercial satellites. Aviation minister Robert Goodwill said: "I want Britain to lead the way in commercial spaceflight. Establishing a spaceport will ensure we are at the forefront of this exciting new technology. "Today's consultation response marks another step forward in our work to support this emerging industry, which will create jobs and drive economic growth." The next step will be for the Department for Transport to develop a detailed technical specification of spaceport requirements, due to be published later this year, before inviting proposals. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said potential spaceport sites should have a runway which is already more than 3,000m (9842ft) long or could be extended to that length, and is located away from densely populated areas. It should also be able to accommodate areas of segregated special use airspace to manage space flights safely. The CAA also strongly recommended that a spaceport should be situated at a coastal location. Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "Paving the way for a national spaceport is one of our biggest science achievements in this parliament. It greatly underscores the work of our space innovation and growth strategy to position the UK as a world-leader in this exciting arena that is expected to be worth up to £400 billion a year to the global economy by 2030. "Launching satellites and operating commercial space flights from our shores was once only confined to the depths of science fiction, but with the results of this consultation we are one step closer to making this a very real ability in the near future." SNP Moray MP Angus Robertson criticised the decision to rule out the two sites in his constituency. He said: "The announcement that Kinloss and Lossiemouth have both been ruled out as potential spaceport sites is an extremely bad decision by the UK Government. "I am utterly mystified that the Ministry of Defence assessment has reached this conclusion, particularly at Kinloss, whose runway is barely used since the Nimrods were removed from service and which has acres of space that could be better used.

"Given the keen interest shown in Moray's location and facilities by Virgin Galactic it is an inexplicable decision. "Many folk in Moray, both in public agencies and in the wider community, have backed the idea of a spaceport here and have evidenced the suitability of the area for it. They will be hugely disappointed by a decision that simply defies logic." The Government said that while its current focus is to identify the best location for sub-orbital spaceplane operations, this does not prejudice any long-term consideration of a vertical launch facility.