Scotland launches space mission

GLASGOW, Scotland - A shipbuilding hub since the days of the British Empire, the Scottish city of Glasgow is now reaching for the stars with a growing space satellite industry.

Glasgow builds more satellites than any city outside of the United States, according to space industry experts, specializing in small "CubeSats" that can be used for anything from weather forecasting to global positioning.

"Scotland has always been famous for making ships - and today we're making spaceships," said Peter Anderson, head of business development at satellite maker Clyde Space.

The company's offices are near the imposing Finnieston Crane, a relic of the River Clyde's shipbuilding past once used to lift tanks and steam trains onto ships.

Clyde Space launched Scotland's first ever satellite in 2014 and within two years it was producing six satellites every month.

That set off a period of rapid growth in the space industry, which insiders hope will get a further boost from rumored plans to build two new spaceports in Scotland.

Britain's plans for its space industry have been stepped up amid concerns it will be banned after Brexit from bidding for contracts on the European Union's 9 billion pound ($12 billion) Galileo global positioning system.

The United Kingdom wants complete access to Galileo as it played a major role in the development of the system, which is expected to be fully operational in 2026, but the EU has decided to move a satellite monitoring base from Britain to Spain to "preserve security".

British Prime Minister Theresa May has created a task force of engineering and aerospace experts, led by the UK Space Agency, "to develop options for a British Global Navigation Satellite System that would guide missiles and power satnavs", her government said.

In Scotland, the space sector has grown by over 70 percent since 2010 to a turnover of $3.6 billion last year, according to aerospace trade body ADS Scotland. The industry employs around 7,500 people, the group said.

Hopes are also high that Scotland will soon have its own launchpads.

Lawmakers gathered in April on North Uist, an island off Scotland's west coast, to discuss proposals to build a vertical launch site.

Fledgling satellite firm Orbital Access recently set up shop at Prestwick Airport and UK rocket maker Skyrora has bought facilities in Edinburgh and Glasgow in anticipation of a spaceport in Prestwick, about 50 kilometers southwest of Glasgow.

Agence France-Presse