Houston Spaceport partners with U.K. spaceport

An artist's rendering of the vision for the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport. An artist's rendering of the vision for the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport. Photo: SUBMITTED PHOTO Photo: SUBMITTED PHOTO Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Houston Spaceport partners with U.K. spaceport 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The Houston Spaceport has signed a memorandum of understanding with a counterpoint in the U.K. to share relevant policies, processes and other information relating to commercial spaceport licensing and operations.

On Tuesday, the Glasgow Prestwick Airport welcomed a delegation from Houston Spaceport and Rice Space Institute to meet with representatives from the Scottish space industry and local politicians.

"We couldn't wish for a more experienced partner than Houston," Richard Jenner, Glasgow Prestwick Airport Spaceport Director, said in a news release. "They have a long history of facilitating government funded launches and it is exciting to be embarking on the move to commercial space launches alongside them. This partnership will hopefully expedite the establishment of a spaceport at Prestwick."

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The news release states that Glasgow Prestwick Spaceport will benefit from Houston's agreements with NASA, which enable them to use NASA technology, research and resources in a commercial environment. Houston will benefit from Glasgow Prestwick Spaceport's relationship with space launch developers and operators Orbital Access.

This partnership could also lead to customer referrals between the two spaceports.

"The pioneers who first made inroads in space travel and space exploration began as contestants in a race, but soon realized that any hope of safely and efficiently reaching those goals would require productive and valuable partnerships," Arturo Machuca, general manager of Ellington Airport and the Houston Spaceport, said in the news release.

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