U.K. Government Green Lights Next Phase in Spaceport Development
U.K. Government Paves Way for Spaceport [With Video], SpaceRef Business
“The UK’s bid to become Europe’s leading space nation took a giant leap forward today as government revealed the 8 locations now under consideration to base Britain’s first spaceport.
Speaking at Farnborough Air Show’s ‘Space Day’, Aviation Minister Robert Goodwill and Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency Dr David Parker unveiled the findings of a recent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) report highlighting 8 possible airfields that could host a spaceport and the economic opportunities it could open up for the UK.”
Real spaceports don’t need runways. We don’t require airplanes to take off from and land on railroad tracks.
Says Mr. Harrier 🙂 what about Skylon? Those people must be eating this up. I wonder how they’re doing on that.
And how are you going to get the multimillionares to their rocket?
You plan on busing them?
Transporters and tractor beams?
Many years ago they proposed Cosford for a spacecraft runway. But Scotland will be better for launchers like VEGA to access a polar orbit.
Depends upon whether or not the Scottish vote for independence, otherwise Cornwall in South West England seems the safe choice.
a polar orbit from South West England? London will not have annother rocket attack.
Launch to the south.
Even Brussel does not want to see rockets near by. 😉
Actually, real spaceports do have railroad stations. Spa
cecraft, their components and their payloads are large and are best assembled elsewhere and shipped to the launch site. If I were building a launch site, I’d certainly want easy ways to transport bulk cargo there. Requiring a nearby airport with a 3000 meter (10,000 ft class) runway makes sense. Glasgow is on the list, and that would also give good rail and sea access.