Disappointment for other area which lost out in bid

Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil expressed his regret that the Outer Hebrides lost out as the site of the UK’s first spaceport.

He said it was “hugely disappointing” that North Uist, which had been in the running, missed out to Sutherland.

Mr MacNeil had been heavily involved in discussions on the proposal with the Scottish Government and the Western Isles Council earlier this year.

He said: “It is hugely disappointing that North Uist has not been chosen.

“Uist is an ideal site due to its location and also because of the expertise and experience already in place at the Hebrides Range.”

That raft of “expertise and experience” is located on the Ministry of Defence Hebrides Range.

It consists of a “deep” range for complex weapons trials and an inner range for ground-based air defence tests and evaluation.

The 44,401sqm range of sanitised airspace with unlimited altitude means there is already considerable infrastructure in the vicinity.

Both the large area and nearby airfield are ideal for air-launched weapons operations that could have been repurposed for civilian satellite and other launches.

Facilities include a tracking radar facility with real-time data for trials control and safety purposes. It provides recordings of time, space and position information for trajectory analysis.