The Belfast Telegraph reports on the Spaceflight Bill, proposed legislation that is to be put before Parliament this week.
The government issued a statement on the proposed legislation. According to the statement, Britain could build space-ports on its own territory "by 2020."
Whether the launch facilities would be on the home islands, in the British Overseas Territories (which include islands in the Caribbean such as Montserrat), or both was unclear to the submitter.
[What, if any, advantages are there for launching from Britain vs a location in the Caribbean? -Ed.]
(Score: 2) by subs on Tuesday February 21 2017, @07:19PM
I think there might be a misunderstanding here. The more speed you have at the outset, the better. So yes, closer to the equator is better in terms of fuel burn. This is all assuming your target is geostationary orbit (which is at the equator). If you want to go into a polar orbit, proximity to the equator is actually a detriment. It all depends on where you want to go. This is also why e.g. the Russians use Baikonur (which is as south as the USSR could basically get) for launches aimed at equatorial / low-inclinations orbits and Plesetsk (which is almost as far north as practical) for launches aimed at polar / high-inclination orbits.