Satellite station to be revived at former airfield

Team wins planning approval to reopen ex-dundee facility at Errol

A world-renowned satellite centre in Dundee which was forced to close last year will reopen in a Perthshire airfield “within the next few months”.

The team behind Dundee Satellite Receiving Station, which collected images beamed back from space, has been given planning permission to reopen at the former RAF Errol Airfield.

The facility is used by scientists worldwide for atmospheric research and meteorological purposes including monitoring climate change.

It closed after the Natural Environment Research Council ended its annual £338,000 grant and Dundee University, which housed it, said it could not make up the shortfall.

Station manager Neil Lonie said the centre would now run as an independent business and would no longer be “at the whim” of decisions by others.

He said: “It will essentially operate with two elements.

“The first will be to work with Cubesat (miniature satellite) operators, which is a booming industry worldwide and in Scotland. In the future, there will be thousands of these operational.

“The other will be to continue collecting images for Earth observational purposes from satellites currently in place.

“We now have control over what we are doing and all decisions will be made by us.”

Much of the equipment is currently stored in spare rooms and garages after the station’s team had to quickly decommission following Dundee University’s decision.

With planners at Perth and Kinross Council now giving approval under delegated authority, it is hoped the first of five antennas could be installed by the end of April.

Once operational, it will be known as Dundee Satellite Station Ltd.

Mr Lonie added: “We still need to secure funding for initial set-up costs, although around £15,000 raised through a crowdfunder will help with that.

“We will order a site office in the next few weeks and once funding is secured, we can install the first antenna.

“It’s great news to get the approval but I think now is when the hard work begins.”

Railway

An image from space of Storm Ali as it struck the UK in September 2018, captured by Dundee Satellite Receiving Station. Picture: Dundee