FINAL planning permission has been granted for Scotland’s first spaceport.

The £17.3 million plan to launch satellites from the A’ Mhòine peninsula in Sutherland “represents a significant step forward,” according to Innovation Minister Ivan McKee.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has approved the budget to develop Space Hub Sutherland, which includes funding from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the UK Space Agency.

Final approval was granted by the Highlands Council today after the Scottish Government said the proposals do not require a decision at a national level on August 3.

Planning approval is subject to a set of 34 conditions, including measures to ensure operations are carried out safely and that the natural environment is protected.

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One condition is that the site will host no more than 12 launches a year.

The port will include a control centre, 2.5km of road and a launch pad, occupying a total of just over 10 acres of the 740-acre site.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/18662162.scotlands-first-spaceport-built-sutherland-full-approval-granted/

dv said:

FINAL planning permission has been granted for Scotland’s first spaceport.

The £17.3 million plan to launch satellites from the A’ Mhòine peninsula in Sutherland “represents a significant step forward,” according to Innovation Minister Ivan McKee.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has approved the budget to develop Space Hub Sutherland, which includes funding from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the UK Space Agency.

Final approval was granted by the Highlands Council today after the Scottish Government said the proposals do not require a decision at a national level on August 3.

Planning approval is subject to a set of 34 conditions, including measures to ensure operations are carried out safely and that the natural environment is protected.

READ

One condition is that the site will host no more than 12 launches a year.

The port will include a control centre, 2.5km of road and a launch pad, occupying a total of just over 10 acres of the 740-acre site.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/18662162.scotlands-first-spaceport-built-sutherland-full-approval-granted/

> which includes funding from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Doubly nice.

This will probably devastate the local wildlife.

I was under the impression that closer to the equator was better for space launches.

Last time I checked Scotland wasn’t in te tropics. Have they moved the country since the independence vote or something?

party_pants said:

I was under the impression that closer to the equator was better for space launches.

Last time I checked Scotland wasn’t in te tropics. Have they moved the country since the independence vote or something?

I wondered about that too.

I also note that moll is working on moving continents on his maps.

A coincidence?

I think not.

party_pants said:

I was under the impression that closer to the equator was better for space launches.

Last time I checked Scotland wasn’t in te tropics. Have they moved the country since the independence vote or something?

What if you’re looking for polar-orbit launches, like for a lot of reconnaissance satellites?

party_pants said:

I was under the impression that closer to the equator was better for space launches.

Last time I checked Scotland wasn’t in te tropics. Have they moved the country since the independence vote or something?

Like the NZ spaceport, it will be favourable for “sun-synchronous” orbits that pass over the poles.

captain_spalding said:

party_pants said:

I was under the impression that closer to the equator was better for space launches.

Last time I checked Scotland wasn’t in te tropics. Have they moved the country since the independence vote or something?

What if you’re looking for polar-orbit launches, like for a lot of reconnaissance satellites?

Not sure if the demand for polar orbit launches is great enough.

party_pants said:

captain_spalding said:

party_pants said:

I was under the impression that closer to the equator was better for space launches.

Last time I checked Scotland wasn’t in te tropics. Have they moved the country since the independence vote or something?

What if you’re looking for polar-orbit launches, like for a lot of reconnaissance satellites?

Not sure if the demand for polar orbit launches is great enough.

Overall, polar and sun-synchronous orbits don’t make up a big chunk of launches: it’s mostly for weather, environmental monitoring , “national security” (spying) etc and other cases where you want to cover the whole globe including high latitudes. Still, it’s a decent niche market to tap into I guess.

party_pants said:

captain_spalding said:

party_pants said:

I was under the impression that closer to the equator was better for space launches.

Last time I checked Scotland wasn’t in te tropics. Have they moved the country since the independence vote or something?

What if you’re looking for polar-orbit launches, like for a lot of reconnaissance satellites?

Not sure if the demand for polar orbit launches is great enough.

Reconnaissance/spy satellites use low-Earth orbits, (150 – 200 km) which means that their orbits decay fairly rapidly, and they need regular replacement. And there’s about 2,00 of them up there, so there’s a market.

This is the sort of environmental vandalism you’d expect from the Tories.

Just prior to the Scottish referendum lots of missiles were transported south, through the centre of Glasgow, in the middle of the night. Is this spaceport permanent or can it be shuffled around according to the politics of the day?

sarahs mum said:

Just prior to the Scottish referendum lots of missiles were transported south, through the centre of Glasgow, in the middle of the night. Is this spaceport permanent or can it be shuffled around according to the politics of the day?

Well I don’t think you can stick a spaceport on the back of a lorry.

dv said:

sarahs mum said:

Just prior to the Scottish referendum lots of missiles were transported south, through the centre of Glasgow, in the middle of the night. Is this spaceport permanent or can it be shuffled around according to the politics of the day?

Well I don’t think you can stick a spaceport on the back of a lorry.

Bogsnorkler said:

dv said:

sarahs mum said:

Just prior to the Scottish referendum lots of missiles were transported south, through the centre of Glasgow, in the middle of the night. Is this spaceport permanent or can it be shuffled around according to the politics of the day?

Well I don’t think you can stick a spaceport on the back of a lorry.

sarahs mum said:

Bogsnorkler said:

dv said:

Well I don’t think you can stick a spaceport on the back of a lorry.

FAB!

dv said:

sarahs mum said:

Just prior to the Scottish referendum lots of missiles were transported south, through the centre of Glasgow, in the middle of the night. Is this spaceport permanent or can it be shuffled around according to the politics of the day?

Well I don’t think you can stick a spaceport on the back of a lorry.

I shouldn’t worry.

I doubt if they’ll let any Scotsmen within cannon shot of the place.

(Pictured) A group of Scottish aerospace engineers watching the first launch from Sutherland Space Port.