The consortium planning to develop the UK’s first spaceport near Campbeltown attended a successful parliamentary reception at Westminster this week – hosted by the area’s local MP Brendan O’Hara.

Leading players in the aerospace industry as well as MPs attended and heard from the consortium – Argyll and Bute Council and Discover Space UK, supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise – that the Campbeltown site in Kintyre is the best location.

Councillor Aileen Morton, Argyll and Bute Council’s Policy Lead for Sustainable Economic Growth, said:

“The reception was an extremely successful event and an ideal opportunity to inform representatives from the aerospace industry and MPs of the progress being made on our ambitious plans.”

Councillor Morton also welcomed the announcement by Discover Space UK that it has agreed Memorandums of Understanding with leading Space science and technology firms QinetiQ and Telespazio VEGA UK to work on investigating the potential for a horizontal launch spaceport at the Campbeltown site on the West Coast of Scotland. She said:

 “The commitment from leading aerospace companies to help develop the business case for Campbeltown is another significant step forward. The former airbase has real strengths. It has clear airspace and is close to an existing route to space, while the three kilometre runway meets all the licence criteria and there is established infrastructure in place with the capacity to grow. Our bid has the absolute backing of the local community and now with the signing of the Memorandums of Understanding the backing of the industry.

“Taking into account Argyll and Bute’s many other strengths I would challenge anyone to find a more sensible or attractive location for the spaceport.”

Brendan O'Hara MP added:

“What the group has achieved in only a few years as a community organisation is inspiring and a testament to the potential which can be unlocked locally. What has also become apparent from the reception has been the ability of all parties to work together for the greater good of Argyll and Bute, from a community organisation to Argyll and Bute Council to Highlands and Islands Enterprise and your MP. This is a really positive step and shows that we can all work together and I hope to see this more and more as we all push for great things in Argyll and Bute.”

“The reception was a great success, it was well-attended, it put the Machrihanish Spaceport  bid firmly on the map and I expect we will very shortly, be hearing of yet more exciting developments from MACC as they navigate their way to opening up Kintyre to the wider world and much further beyond.”

The former RAF Airbase at Machrihanish, Campbeltown has twice been approved for space flight and ahead of the launch of the NASA Space Shuttle in 1981 was a certified emergency landing site in Europe.