Representatives from Prestwick Spaceport are set to meet with stakeholders from across the global space industry, commerce, academia and government at this week’s Farnborough International Airshow.
Prestwick Spaceport will have a major presence alongside partners with Space Scotland, as part of a dedicated space zone at the world’s biggest airshow.
The spaceport, which this week welcomed senior representatives from Houston Spaceport and Rice University in the US, has secured more funding than any other UK spaceport development with a long-established aerospace cluster featuring companies such as BAE Systems, Collins Aerospace, GE Caledonian and Spirit AeroSystems.
The project is currently focused on leveraging its transport links and proximity to key satellite manufacturers in Glasgow in order to create more than 4,000 new jobs in Ayrshire.
In September, Prestwick Spaceport signed a Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate Scotland’s space industry ambitions in partnership with Astraius, a UK-based horizontal ‘air launch’ company.
Prestwick and Astraius are both attending Farnborough International Airshow and are expected to further develop plans in response to the growing demand for satellite launch services for the UK and around the globe.
Prestwick Spaceport’s upcoming milestones include finalising plans for its second public consultation, working with UK regulators on its launch licence application, attracting inward investment, developing supply chain opportunities and delivering local educational outreach initiatives.
Through the Ayrshire Growth Deal, £80m is being invested at Prestwick.
Matthew Archer, director of commercial spaceflight for the UK Space Agency, said: “Glasgow produces more satellites than anywhere else in the UK and Prestwick Spaceport is at the centre of a growing aerospace cluster which has the potential to support thousands of high-quality jobs.
“To keep growing the UK space sector, we need to catalyse investment and inspire the next generation to reach for the stars, and it’s great to see the progress being made by the team at Prestwick in these areas.”
The Farnborough International Airshow will return after a break due to the coronavirus pandemic and welcome more than 80,000 visitors from over 100 countries. The event has been a major trade exhibition for the aerospace sector since 1948.
Mick O’Connor, programme director for Prestwick Spaceport, stated: “Farnborough is always the highlight of the aerospace events calendar and it’s fantastic that Prestwick’s developing space hub is being well represented at the airshow.
“We have a huge opportunity at Prestwick to help secure the UK’s position as Europe’s leading launch location.”
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