Prestwick Spaceport is set to become one of Europe’s leading spaceports.
The development of space launch services at Prestwick is being led by Glasgow Prestwick Airport, an operational airport on the west coast of Scotland, and its partner South Ayrshire Council.
Prestwick Spaceport has already secured an £80 million funding boost through the Ayrshire Growth Deal to enable it to undergo a highly ambitious Aerospace and Space Programme and become the leading horizontal launch spaceport in Europe. The spaceport is now setting out to create an unrivalled space supply-chain network, boosted by a location easily reached by road, rail, sea and air – and accessible to a vast talent pool.
By 2035 the spaceport will provide a range of services, including air launch of satellites up to a mass of 800k, microgravity flights and hypersonic flights services. The first commercial rocket launches will take place from spring 2024.
Prestwick offers a unique combination of attributes: latitude; over sea take off; meteorological conditions; and the strong cluster of innovative aerospace companies – including Spirit AeroSystems, GE Caledonian, Collins Aerospace and BAE Systems – located at Prestwick Aerospace adjacent to Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
Investment in infrastructure to ensure that Glasgow Prestwick Airport can operate as a spaceport includes fuel storage, mixing areas and blast protection. In addition, there will be investment to provide infrastructure for launch service providers (LSP) including a satellite integration facility, payload processing facility, mission control and range management systems.
It is anticipated the spaceport investment will create more than 4000 new jobs locally, while positioning Scotland as a key player in the increasingly competitive global space race.
For more information on Prestwick Spaceport, please watch our series of short videos below:
Episode 1 – Former Leader of South Ayrshire Council Peter Henderson, explains why SAC has been striving to bring a spaceport to Prestwick through the Ayrshire Growth Deal and the impact it will have on South Ayrshire, Scotland and the UK.
Episode 2 – Commercial Director of Glasgow Prestwick Airport Zoe Kilpatrick explains the significance of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with launch partner Astraius and the opportunities this will bring to South Ayrshire beyond launch.
Episode 3 – Kevin Seymour, CEO of our launch partner company Astraius, explains why they chose Prestwick as their UK base and the horizontal launch technology that will be used to send launch vehicles into orbit.
Episode 4 – Programme Director Mick O’Connor explains why Prestwick is an ideal location for a spaceport and how the £80 million Ayrshire Growth Deal funding will be spent in developing Prestwick as a leading centre for aerospace and space.
