The possibility of a spaceport that would allow Moray to cash in on the £400billion global space market should be pursued as a priority, councillors are being told.
RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks were among eight sites in the UK named recently as possible locations.
Ministers hope to open a spaceport at one of them within four years.
Graham Leadbitter, the SNP’s economic development spokesman on Moray Council, has tabled a motion to the economic development committee calling on members to recognise the importance of such a development and instruct officers to make it a priority.
Mr Leadbitter said: “The prospect of a spaceport in Moray is not new but the support for it has, in the past, been lukewarm, with many not grasping the potential of such a development for Moray.
“I am urging Moray councillors to grasp the thistle on this issue and give it the priority it deserves.
“It is unacceptable to think it will never happen. We have to work as hard as possible to make it happen.”
Meanwhile, Moray MP Angus Robertson has tabled a motion recognising the economic benefits that the development of the space-technology sector would bring and is calling on the UK Government to work with the local authority, Scottish Government and other agencies to maximise the opportunity.
He said: “Having two sites in Moray on the shortlist for a spaceport should focus people’s minds on the possibilities that exist from space-technology development.
“It is critical that the public sector, from Whitehall through to local government and other agencies such as HIE, are doing all they can to make progress in spaceport development.”
The Civil Aviation Authority was asked to devise criteria for the host site – and stipulated the need for a long runway, seclusion from large popular centres and favourable weather.
Experts have long described Moray as the “obvious” location for the port because of the runways at the two bases, the proximity to the coast and a relatively clear path north over the sea.