Leuchars is very much in it to win it as the race to host Europe’s first commercial spaceport heats up this week.
It is T minus two days and counting until six sites still in the running to host the out-of-this-world facility go head-to-head at a conference in London.
And even though no decisions will be made at the event on Wednesday, the gathering is expected to give some indication as to who the strongest contenders are likely to be.
Work to establish the feasibility of a UK spaceport began in 2012, when the Department for Transport and UK Space Agency asked the CAA to review the operational environment and regulations to allow spaceplanes to operate.
Since then, various potential options have been considered and just six UK locations remain on the shortlist ahead of a final decision later this year.
Ministers have already ruled out Leuchars becoming a permanent home for any UK spaceport, but they have confirmed that the former RAF base is being seriously considered for a temporary facility.
With that in mind, a delegation from Fife will make a presentation at the Royal Aeronautical Society’s conference in London on Wednesday and state the region’s case both in terms of hosting a temporary spaceport and how local businesses could benefit.
Iain Shirlaw, economic adviser at Fife Council, told The Courier: “Fife Council, along with other Scottish local authorities, and investors and potential future spaceport operators, will present at the Royal Aeronautical Society’s event next week on how we can generate economic value from a future spaceport.
“Our focus is to fly the flag for Scotland.
“A number of businesses in Fife have expertise in the aerospace sector and space technology, so the kingdom is well-placed to benefit from this growth,” he added.
Campbeltown, Prestwick and Stornoway are among the other Scottish contenders after airfields at Lossiemouth and Kinloss were ruled out on defence grounds, while Newquay in England and Llanbedr Airport in Wales complete the six-strong shortlist.