£10m grants offered to firms to create multiple UK space ports

THE Government is offering grants of £10 million to businesses that want to build spaceports.

Ministers believe that commercial spaceflight will provide a lucrative market worth £25 billion worldwide over the next 20 years, and the UK should grab a slice of it.

Spaceports would launch satellites into orbit, scientists into low orbit to conduct experiments – and wealthy thrill-seekers into space for the experience of a lifetime.

Proposed new laws allowing launches to begin by 2020 will be published within weeks.

Transport Secretary Chris Gray- ling said: “To help the creation of the space launch market in the UK, the UK Space Agency is inviting commercial space consortia to apply for grant funding to take the action that will make our ambitions a reality.

“Together, the proposed legislation and grant funding announced today will have the potential to enable commercial spaceflight from a UK spaceport by 2020.”

But the plans were slammed by Liberal Democrats, who said Mr Grayling should be the first to be launched into orbit.

Jenny Randerson, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, said: “This £10m shows just how out of touch the Government really are. Only a handful of extremely wealthy people would consider space tourism an option.

“And while people are struggling with the current infrastructure here on earth the Government should take a reality check. Improving our railways and are roads with this cash would be money much more wisely spent.”

“With this kind of thinking the first person shot into space on the test flight should be Chris Grayling.”

The Government told potential bidders: “In time we hope that the market for UK launch could support multiple spaceports.”