Home Top News Kourou instead of A’Mhoine – a spaceship for Scotland

Kourou instead of A’Mhoine – a spaceship for Scotland

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Kourou instead of A’Mhoine – a spaceship for Scotland
Model of the first UK commercial space port to be installed in Melanes, Scotland, for vertical rocket launches before 2020.  Fictional image of the UK's first commercial spaceport at the Sutherland site in Melanes, Scotland, which will conduct the UK's first vertical, orbital rocket launch in early 2020.  (PRNewsfoto/Lockheed Martin)

Outside the EU, but in space? Animation of a rocket launch from Scotland (CNW/Lockheed Martin UK Spaceflight)

Many experts understand the big business of the future with the Internet from space. Thousands of small satellites can connect any point on Earth to the network.

The United Kingdom would also like to benefit from this “gold rush”. The first launch site in Europe is to be built, off the coast of the A’Mhoine peninsula, in the far north of Scotland.

In a few years, rockets with very low payloads are expected to launch small satellites into space. The British have won the American company Lockheed Martin as a partner.

17 meter high prime missile

It wants to launch a version of the Electron rocket from Scotland, which is currently being used in New Zealand. In the future, the necessary parts of the rocket will come from British production.

Europe's success story: Ariane 5 rocket launch in Kouraus

Soon on the Scottish coast too? Launch of a rocket at Kourou (ESA / Arianespace)

Start-up company Orbex also plans to use the launch site by sea. The company is currently developing its 17-metre-high Prime rocket, which will carry small satellites up to 1,250 km into space.

Britain is anything but stingy when it comes to building a Scottish spaceport. So far, over 30 million euros have been committed to funding.

British companies are already playing an important role in building small satellites. In the future, they should also start the Heavenly Scouts themselves.

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