A tiny island off the coast of Scotland is being touted as a potential satellite launch site.

Unst, the UK's most northerly inhabited isle, has been earmarked as the future home of the Shetland Space Centre.

Its backers say clear air space and a lack of nearby cities makes Shetland the perfect location.

Shetland Space Centre (SSC) director Scott Hammond, a former RAF pilot, said: "We want to make as many people as possible aware of the abundantly clear natural advantages that Unst has in terms of physics and geography.

"But is important to highlight the fact that it is not just us who are saying this - from government to academia to the space industry, there is a strong grasp of the situation.

SSC founder and director said Shetland's history with oil and gas shows it is capable of supporting the aerospace sector as well.

"Shetland has many other attributes as well, including formidable logistics and supply chain expertise developed over almost 50 years as host to the oil and gas industry," he said.

"We will be highlighting these strengths in the weeks and months ahead."