The proposed Sutherland Spaceport design on the A’ Mhoine peninsula.
By Caroline McMorran,
Published by The Northern Times, 11 December 2024
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney is being urged to undertake a fundamental review of the Scottish Government support for the space sector following the announcement that work on Sutherland Spaceport has been halted.
The call comes from Space Watch UK, an organisation that monitors and campaigns against the militarisation and corporate exploitation of space, particularly the UK’s military space programme.
In a letter to Mr Swinney, Space Watch UK says that the current policy on spaceports is flawed because it is based on the principle that the government should sow its seeds widely, encouraging a number of start-ups at the same time, but then allowing the market to select which sites succeed and which sites fall by the wayside.
Peter Burt of Space Watch UK said: “This approach leads to public money being wasted on unviable projects and lets down communities who are looking to the Scottish Government to help them regenerate. There is also a risk that commercial pressures resulting from oversupply may also cause spaceports to become reliant on military and government customers.”
There are currently plans to develop five spaceports in Scotland, but even voices from the space industry have said that there is overcapacity in the sector, having argued that there was no need for two spaceports in the far north of Scotland long before the announcement that work in Sutherland was to be put on hold.
Mr Burt added: “There are deep contradictions in the Scottish Government policies on the development of spaceports which have been exposed by the decision to pause work on the Sutherland Spaceport project.
“The space sector is a high risk industry, requiring high up-front costs from investors in the sector. There is already a global overcapacity in space launch sites when compared to demand, meaning that the economic viability of new developments will always be a challenge, and even voices from the space industry have questioned the need for multiple spaceports in Scotland. Under these circumstances a more measured approach is needed from the Scottish Government, development agencies, and local authorities.
“A fundamental review of the policies and mechanisms through which the Scottish government funds the space sector is needed, which must place the local citizens and communities who will be affected by spaceports at the centre of decision-making. This will help inject a sense of realism and also give local communities a genuine stake in shaping projects which are intended to benefit them.”
In a new blog article Space Watch analyses the Scottish Government’s space policy and its shortcomings, and suggest a number of actions that should be taken to improve matters, including:
Developing a national spaceport siting policy for Scotland based on realistic assessments of market demand.
Undertaking an audit of the money spent directly and indirectly by the Scottish Government on spaceport development to date, and the value for money that has been achieved.
Inviting the Scottish Parliament to establish a committee to examine the effectiveness of spaceport development policy to date and make recommendations for the future.
Developing a mandatory community engagement protocol for spaceport and other major infrastructure development projects which allows local communities to shape projects and have the final say on whether or not they go ahead.
See: Original Article
