Plans for Scotland's first spaceport given the go ahead

The site would be used for the launching of small satellites

Plans to build Scotland's first spaceport have been given the go ahead.

The launch pad will also be one of the first in the UK.

Development agency, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, wants to construct the Sutherland Space Hub in the Highland county of Sutherland near the northern village of Tongue.

Councillors have now approved the plans.

Those behind the project say that within the next few years people could start seeing satellites and launch vehicles taking off from it.

Satellites are used for lots of different things, for example navigation, weather reporting and telecommunications

Some of those launched from Sutherland will be used to monitor the effects of global warming, with the data gathered helping "people around the world understand and address the impacts of climate change".

The cost of building the hub is £17.3m, with some of the money coming from the UK Space Agency.

But while some see it as an exciting step forward for the UK's space industry, others are concerned about the plans.

The Highland Council in Scotland said it had received 457 objections to the spaceport and many are because of the environmental impact on the local area.

A council report said each launch would see "an estimated five tonnes of carbon fibre reinforced plastic and seven tonnes of metal alloy dropping into the sea each year".

However, the plans have been approved subject to a set of 34 conditions, including measures to protect the natural environment. For example, rocket launches will be limited to twelve per year.

Graham Turnock, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said:

"The UK government is committed to minimising the environmental impact of spaceflight activities and is developing a National Space Strategy which recognises the unique contribution of satellite technology to our understanding of global issues like climate change."