Stories set against the black backdrop of space exploration are often tangled in complexity, and let's face it, are unnecessarily long.

It seems Scotland's galactic saga is no different.

After years of rumours, proposals and withdrawals from numerous sites, it looks like Ayrshire could provide the launch pad for Scotland's first spaceport.

On Tuesday, Glasgow Prestwick Spaceport will sign a formal partnership agreement with historic Houston Spaceport, a contract providing business opportunities for customers looking for "alternative orbital launches".

The notion first came to light in July 2014 when the UK Government revealed eight possible locations for Britain's first spaceport which would be used for launching or receiving spacecraft.

Touted locations included Stornoway Airport, Campbeltown Airport, Prestwick Airport, RAF Kinloss, RAF Leuchars and RAF Lossiemouth.

A technical feasibility study showed that with roughly £3m investment, Glasgow Prestwick Airport could become the front runner.

Backers hope Prestwick could provide opportunities for passenger space flights.

Space X and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic have expressed an interest in launching flights from the UK as soon as 2018, though the latest reports say it will be 2019 before the facility is operational.

Space travel was a dream held by president-elect Donald Trump, who campaigned for Prestwick to become the launch pad for commercial space flights in August 2015. 

Trump said he would offer VIP packages for passengers at his nearby Turnberry golf resort if his vision was realised - though the feasibility of that promise remains to be seen.

In March 2015 Westminster ruled out two airfields at RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks for operational reasons, given their vital role in defence.

They also confirmed RAF Leuchars would not be considered as a permanent facility but could be used as a temporary spaceport.

A day later, Highlands and Islands Airports said it had no plans to build a spaceport in the Western Isles.

However in February this year new proposals were put together considering the bid with tourism and job benefits among the positive points.

In May though the competition was ended by the Department of Transport, which instead offered up bidding for the licence to any suitable contender.

The UK is a world leader in the satellite industry, particularly when it comes to smaller models.

Scottish companies have already set standards high providing components and systems for other agencies.

But the first complete satellite built in Scotland was launched on July 8, 2014 - and was small enough to fit in your hand.

UKube-1 was designed and built by Clyde Space in Glasgow, and was launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket in Kazakhstan.

The following year, the UK Government announced it would back three of Scotland's most promising space companies through a new trade mission.

They included Bright Ascension, a Dundee based provider of software solutions for satellites; PocketQube Shop, a Glasgow based one-stop-shop for custom satellites that cost less than a car, and Scot Sat, an Edinburgh based provider of ultra-high speed mobile satellite communications.

The companies attended the Small Satellite Conference in Utah, before travelling to California to meet with industry leaders and investors, including teams from NASA, Virgin Galactic and Lockheed Martin.