Are you up for a flight of fancy?
ASPIRING Caithness space travellers might get the chance to launch from a spot quite close to home.
A site in the Highlands has been identified by leading UK aerospace figures as ideally placed for polar orbit satellite launch and for space tourism, with that confidence backed by the UK government.
The RAF Lossiemouth airbase with its fast-jet facilities is exactly what is needed for the take off and landing of new rocketplanes.
Space travel is now opening up on a commercial basis with various companies developing new designs of spacecraft and travel agents now taking flight bookings for journeys up to the edge of space. With the UK not having any satellite launch facilities of its own, UK satellites are currently sent to other countries to use their launch systems.
An operational spaceport would provide the UK and its European neighbours with a key piece of infrastructure for the aerospace industry.
Space tourism is moving closer to becoming a reality, with Virgin Galactic’s first flight set to take off this year.
