LABOUR have suggested that Scotland may be too northern for the UK’s first ever spaceport.
The UK Government has confirmed it will be sited at the A’Mhoine peninsula in Sutherland.
Science and Innovation Minister Sam Gyimah addressed MPs on the plans three days after briefing the press.
Chi Onwurah, Labour’s shadow minister for industrial strategy, welcomed the investment, though suggested the Tories saw it “as a means to good headlines”.
Onwurah added: “The proposed Sutherland spaceport will be the north-most operational spaceport in the world.
“As a Newcastle MP I am all for going north, but spaceports are overwhelmingly sited near the equator, allowing rockets to harness an additional natural boost.”
“What factors were considered when choosing the location far from the equator, although close to Tory marginals?”
Gyimah hit back, suggesting she was referring to the wrong type of satellites.
He said: “Equator launches tend to be large satellites to geostationary orbit. The growth we’re talking about are in small satellites, and these tend to be polar.”
The UK minister also said a £2.5 million grant for the vertical spaceport proved his party’s commitment to the Union, and addressed the “hugely ambitious vision” on space exploration set out by Donald Trump.
The SNP’s Carol Monaghan said it was “extremely welcome news”, and noted that Tory MSP Adam Tomkins had previously described such proposals as “science fiction”.
She said: “Scotland is home to 18% of the UK’s space sector jobs. It has a thriving satellite industry.
“This is not about the ambition of a certain US president or commitment to the Union.
“This is about the fact Sutherland is perfectly placed, both in terms of its geographical position for vertical launches and also within the educational and manufacturing environment,” she added.
Scotland accounts for 18% of the UK’s space industry jobs, with more satellites built in Glasgow in the past two years than in any other European city, and the space sector is currently worth more than £130m to the Scottish economy.
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