Move over, Cape Canaveral, Cape Wrath’s the place to be

It is predicted that within five to eight years, it will be commercially feasible to site a “space port” somewhere along the north coast.

Already, two UK rocket companies are researching the options for creating small spacecraft to carry payloads of hi-tech satellites, weighing only 5kg (11lb), into orbit.

According to rocket consultant Rick Newlands, advances in miniaturisation has meant these “nano satellites” are now commercially viable and the demand for launch pads will follow.

“Nano satellites are a very new thing. They’re small and they’re cheap, so if something goes wrong and it gets lost, it’s not such a heartache,” he said.

“It’s early days, but there is a bit of a gold rush going on just now around nano satellites. Every university department and small company is producing them and we expect that market to increase greatly.”

In the UK, there are two companies manufacturing small satellites, including Glasgow-based Clyde Space. It produces satellites that start at £25,000 for a basic model, rising to £500,000 for the most complex one.

Mr Newlands said there was now serious demand for a European launch site for this sort of technology and that Scotland was perfectly placed to deliver. “One of the most lucrative orbits that you could put satellites into is sun synchronous – where the satellite passes over the same point at the same time every day. It’s very useful for monitoring satellites, looking for global warming, examining the sea, crops and some astronomy as well.

“Scotland is extremely well-placed to put satellites in sun synchronous orbit. Apart from the Faroe Islands, there is nothing much beyond the north of Scotland, so as long as you don’t fly over them, you’re free until you hit the Arctic ice, which makes it very safe for launches.”

Mr Newlands said he expected the market for such launches could become crowded.

Craig Clark, chief executive of Clyde Space, said the United States government was already contracting much of its space work to a private firm, Space X.

“So far, in Europe, nobody has come forward with a similar plan,” he said. “It’s my belief that it would be great if somebody established a commercial launch service over here, even better if it was in Scotland.”

Two UK companies, Spacefleet and Newton Space Systems, are leading the race, with the former testing early models of its Earl spacecraft.

Spacefleet managing director Raymond Wright said early scale models of its rocket had already shown the design could lift off and glide back to Earth successfully without remote control guidance. Further tests will see larger designs, with remote controls to guide it back.

Mr Wright said he expected to carry out high-altitude tests in Scotland some time next year.

Newton Space Systems is looking at the feasibility of establishing a company to launch rockets in the north of Scotland. Director Martin Heywood believes there is a gap in the international market that UK companies are well-placed to take advantage of, and that Scotland is the “ideal location” for development.

Both companies acknowledge the high cost of launching rockets is a major hurdle to their plans, but say serious advances have been made in driving down the cost of technology and that this work as continuing.

Mr Heywood said there had been strong support for the development of UK space enterprises, with money available for feasibility and development.

“There is a gap in the market that needs to be filled and nobody else is doing it,” he said. “We’re looking across the whole of Europe and saying there’s a massive opportunity here.”

Mr Newlands said: “It is doable. Britain has got the expertise to build satellites, it’s just criminal that it can’t launch them as well.”