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MACC runway view

In the middle of the last century, the Space Race was one of history’s biggest competitions and political spectacles, notoriously secretive and adversarial.

That’s all changed now, however, as space-based technologies are contributing more and more to economic growth and companies make significant headway into commercialising space opportunities. The fascination remains but, here in the UK at least, the sector is characterised by a collaborative approach.

This collaboration will be key if the sector is to meet its technological and economic potential. The Scottish Government has set out its ambitions for the industry in its Strategy for Space in Scotland which it estimates could contribute £4 billion to the economy by 2030.

While peaceful rural areas might not seem the obvious match for the hi-tech space sector, the fact is space needs space, including large, flexible areas to develop and test technology. And the village of Machrihanish in Argyll and Bute is one such rural area that is becoming a perfect partner for the space sector in Scotland.

As a former military base, Machrihanish Airbase Community Company (MACC) Business Park on the Kintyre peninsula is ideally positioned for secure build and test facilities and has been identified as one of seven potential UK space ports.

With 1,000 acres of land and a secure location, it gives the scale needed to develop space projects along with good connectivity and infrastructure, including close proximity to Campbeltown. This little piece of coastal paradise also boasts the longest airport runway in Scotland, a huge asset when it comes to horizontal spaceflight launch.

Security remains vital as companies work on what is often proprietary technology but, like many growth sectors, there needs to be a coming together of minds, learnings, knowledge and resources to be able to scale effectively and meet the sector’s ambition to be a European market leader.

Organisations like Space Scotland are providing leadership and structure to this collaboration, and many other businesses and organisations are playing their own part including MACC Business Park. Occupants like Discover Space UK, a commercial launch service operator, and AltaRange, a commercial range services provider, are already making their impact on the sector.

As a community-owned facility, the business park has always had a neighbourly feel and taken a collective approach. These principles of partnership and connection are exactly what we need to see as the space sector develops. Many of our tenants work together and with other local businesses, supported by organisations like Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), creating a close, collaborative ecosystem.  HIE, the economic development agency for the region, sees the space sector as a huge transformational opportunity for the area and is actively involved in promoting the opportunities at Machrihanish and the wider region to secure inward investment and drive business growth.

MACHLab is an example of collaboration and community that we’re particularly proud of. A joint project between ourselves and Discover Space UK with support from the University of Glasgow, it offers rocket testing facilities for students, academics and commercial operations and is now being upgraded for larger tests and cryogenic propellants. We are now associated with 20 universities across the UK as an aerospace testing facility, providing practical amenities to help continue the crucial research and development activity that underpins our space sector.

Seeing the success of this partnership working first-hand makes us confident that the potential this sector offers Scotland can be achieved. And when we cross the finishing line of this new look space race, rural communities will have played their part rather than global superpowers.