British space industry reveals plans for base with aim of putting satellites into orbit within five years

• Locations are also being considered in the West Country and Scotland
• 
  
• Would be the launching base for space tourism programmes 
• 
  
• Plans enthusiastically backed by Science Minister David Willetts
• 
  

.Could become the home of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic programme

Plans for a multi-million pound ‘space port’ in Britain were yesterday enthusiastically backed by the science minister David Willetts.

He hailed the ‘very exciting ambition’ to construct a mini UK Cape Canaveral as a launching base for space tourists and satellites into orbit within five years.

Possible locations are already being considered in the West Country, Wales and Scotland, with the plan for around one mission blasting off a month.

Mr Willets said he hoped it could provide a European hub for Sir Richard Branson to base his Virgin Galactic space tourism programme which intends to take passengers on suborbital joyrides for around £200,000 a time.

He said: ‘The space portal is a very exciting ambition.

‘It’s very important that Britain is a driving force for the growth area of low cost space travel.’

He said possible locations included a former RAF base in Scotland or a site nearer to a commercial centre.

Andy Green, Chairman of the UK Space Leadership Council said if built it would be near a coastal area.