It has taken three years for Frank Strang and his team at SaxaVord in Shetland to secure the UK's first licence for vertical rocket launches, during which time the number of satellites in low Earth orbit has surged from roughly 2,700 to more than 7,700.
That astronomical pace of growth is only set to continue. Consultancy group McKinsey has projected that the global space industry could be worth nearly £800 billion by 2030, compared to something in the ballpark of £350bn at the moment, as the proliferation of data gathered from orbit will reshape activities ranging from communications to agriculture, logistics, environmental conservation, and much more.
Grabbing even a small share of this market would transform Scotland's economy, and that of the entire UK which for years has suffered from weak productivity and under-investment by both the public and private sectors.
READ MORE: SaxaVord secures Scottish first in UK's race to space
The need for safety in space is paramount, but if regulation is a greater challenge than the rocket science there seems scant hope for a podium finish in a race that is moving at little less than the speed of light. SaxaVord is far ahead of the four other declared spaceports in Scotland in terms of clearing the necessary regulatory hurdles, meaning it could be years before others come on stream.
And not even SaxaVord is over the line just yet - it still needs a range licence to clear rockets for movement through UK airspace, which is separate from the spaceport authorisation. For every individual launch the rocket manufacturer must also have a licence, as must the makers of the satellites that are loaded on board.
Launch pads are only one part of the puzzle - the equivalent of the picks and shovels in the California gold rush. The high value is in the satellites and the data they gather, but this is only the case once they have made it into orbit.
Streamlining the application and approval process would give a big boost to the sector in the UK and Scotland as countries from around the world vie for business in this global industry.
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