AstroAgency and Scotland’s Environmental Strategy for Space Industry

The space industry in Scotland is growing faster compared with other parts of the UK. It recorded 12% year-on-year (while the UK as a whole has grown 3%). Thus, the industry could boost the country’s economy in the post-COVID era. Parallel to the strategies to further expand the industry, there are also attempts to provide data solutions to combat climate change. Plus, Astroagency, a Scottish marketing agency, sees that the space industry in the country could flourish sustainably.

But could launching rockets ever be green and sustainable with the proposed creation of more spaceports and regular blast-offs?

The importance of Scotland’s thriving space industry

The space industry is thriving, according to Mr. Daniel Smith of the Scottish Space Leadership Council and founder of AstroAgency. AstroAgency is a strategic marketing company that assists space enterprises, start-ups as well as non-space organizations. The AstroAgency founder also revealed that Glasglow and five other spaceports are the key contributors to future space-related activities in Europe.

The proposed locations are Unst in Shetland, North Uist (Western Isles), Machrihanish in Argyll, the Moine Peninsula in Sutherland, and Preswick Airport in Ayrshire. The proposed spaceports may launch human space flights by the year 2035. Potentially, the launching of small, micro, and nano-satellites might be conducted in Space Hub Sutherland (Northwest Highlands), Spaceport (North Uist), and SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst. Moreover, rocket manufacturer, Orbex, has set up its UK headquarters in Forres, Moray.

Scotland’s History in the Space Industry

However, Scotland’s ventures into the space industry happened many years ago. Rocket launches have been conducted since the 1930s. In 2016, a rocket launched from the Hebrides Rocket Range military missile test site became the first vehicle launched into space from the UK.

After three years, a balloon created to bring satellites into orbit was tested from SaxaVord Spaceport. It was considered the UK’s first commercial spaceflight-related activity.

In 2020, the UK’s first official ground rocket test was carried out in 50 years. The Skylark-L rocket, measuring 11 meters (36 feet), launched into space at Kildermorie Estate by Skyrora space technologies. The rocket simulated all the flight actions while restrained to the ground to prevent it from taking off.

Then, last month, the East Anglian company launched a flight tested vehicle known as ADA. It was part of the plan to open Spaceport 1 at Scolpaig, North Uist, in 2022.

Several organizations mentioned earlier also support the projects. These include the Western Isles local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, public agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and Melness Crofters’ Estate. Consequently, the estate’s chairperson Dorothy Pritchard predicted that opening a spaceport in Sutherland would create more jobs for skilled young residents in the Highlands.

According to her, the proposed project will create the world’s working croft land and carbon-neutral space tech lab. But of course, they will make sure that the traditional crofting community, Sutherland’s beautiful landscape, and the wildlife will remain protected.

Environmental challenges

Scotland’s spacecraft operations might not be as grand as those by NASA. However, even small-scale rocket launches still pose environmental problems. Let’s cite some examples of environmental threats caused by the space industry.

First is the management of used fuels from rockets and satellites. These fuels can include harmful and corrosive materials like hydrogen peroxide, hydrazine, or nuclear materials. Second, rocket engines can also produce tremendous amounts of sulfur and greenhouse gases and leave soot in the atmosphere. Lastly, the debris or space junks can include hundreds of millions of broken satellites and fragments floating around the Earth’s orbit.

Mr. Daniel Smith said that space debris is probably the most common problem. It poses risks of collisions with working satellites, the International Space Station, and the astronauts operating it.

Space Industry and Climate Change

Companies are doing their share to combat the negative impacts of the space industry on the environment, for instance. Orbex is planning to use a completely renewable biofuel. Meanwhile, the Scottish Space Leadership Council – Sustainable Space Task Force has gathered manufacturers, data firms, and others in a campaign to make space explorations less damaging to Earth.

The industry is responding to the call of the Scottish government to solve the identified challenges in the space sector. Scotland’s conducted the first Sustainable Space Summit in June 2021, wherein First Minister Nicola Sturgeon delivered a message.

A public organization called NatureScot and environmental group Friend of the Earth Scotland are also supporting the campaign. On the other hand, Edinburgh-based Skykorora is formulating a process for making fuel from unrecyclable plastics.

Daniel Smith of AstroAgency said that the space industry is serious in combatting climate change.

Criticisms against spaceports

There is strong opposition to the plans to open a spaceport in the Highlands and North Uist. Also, the application for Space Hub Sutherland stirred many objections, mainly for environmental reasons.

It is also questioned by the Protect The Mhoine (PTM) pressure group, while the wealthy Anders and Anne Holch Povlsen went to court to oppose the project. The couple who owns land near the proposed site is against the project, saying that it negatively impacts protected habitats. Their company, Wildland Ltd, filed legal action against Highland Council’s approval of the said project. 

Further, the couple argued that the decision failed to consider the natural environment and wildlife risks. However, the judge rejected the appeal in August 2021, saying that the couple’s argument did not persuade him that the local officials violated the law. On the contrary, the Povlsens have invested almost £1.5m in SaxaVord Spaceport.

Other criticisms involved the Shetland site, the Western Isles’ Spaceport 1. It encountered opposition from the North Uist Conservation Group. The protesters claimed that they would lose the land to concrete structures. More importantly, they raised concerns about the possible impact of spaceport St Kilda, a UNESCO World Heritage site.