A senior figure at the UK Space Agency said he is confident a controversial spaceport planned for the Scottish Highlands will achieve lift-off, despite opposition from Britain’s largest private landowner.
Anders Holch Povlsen, the Danish fashion tycoon, is against a launch site on the A’Mhoine peninsula in Sutherland which he believes would damage nearby peat bogs and harm wildlife. The spaceport would see rockets being launched close to his Kinloch estate near Tongue.
Ian Annett, deputy chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said Britain is in a race against European countries to win lucrative contracts for launching satellites that can be used by private and public sector bodies to monitor climate change, improve communications, and even tackle crimes such as illegal fishing.
Several launch