Meeting of the Parliament 28 April 2015
I thank colleagues from all parties for their support for my motion and for taking part in the debate.
Since 1913, when Monkton meadows was first used for manned flight, Prestwick has been at the forefront of pioneering flight. In 1935, Hamilton and McIntyre created Scottish Aviation at Prestwick, which is still the blueprint for the airport and aerospace hub that surrounds Prestwick today. The 1950s and 1960s saw Prestwick pioneer transatlantic flight from the United Kingdom. Now, just over 100 years after the first flight from Monkton meadows, another Scottish and UK pioneering opportunity exists at Prestwick airport.
So what opportunity does a UK spaceport represent? No longer is space the “final frontier”, to borrow a phrase. In our modern world, it is the next frontier. We must urgently grasp with both hands the opportunity to develop the space industry.