The list of nations currently able to independently send crews into space is a short one, consisting of Russia and China. The final Space Shuttle flight in 2001 saw the US cut from the list, but it is set to return with NASA's Orion spacecraft and various spaceplanes being developed by a number of private companies. It is the commercial spaceplanes and satellite launch services that the UK is particularly interested in.

At the Farnborough Air Show's "Space Day," Aviation Minister Robert Goodwill and UK Space Agency Chief Executive Dr David Parker revealed eight airfields identified in a recent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) report as having the potential to host a spaceport.