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SaxaVord Spaceport

site on Lamba Ness
Location	Lamba Ness, Shetland, Scotland, United Kingdom
Coordinates	60°49′06″N 0°46′09″W / 60.8184°N 0.7692°W / 60.8184; -0.7692
Operator	https://saxavord.com
Launch history First launch 2025 (planned) Associated rockets Skyrora XL, ABL RS1, Latitude Zephyr, Lockheed Martin UK Pathfinder, Astra, RFA One

SaxaVord Spaceport, previously known as Shetland Space Centre, is a UK spaceport located on the Lamba Ness peninsula on Unst, the most northerly of the inhabited Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland. The site is near the RAF Saxa Vord radar station and the settlement of Skaw.

History

A report from the UK Space Agency initially identified the site as offering clear northbound trajectories for polar and sun-synchronous orbits, with the highest potential payload of any location in the UK.

Lockheed Martin initially expressed interest in flying their UK Pathfinder satellite launch system from the proposed spaceport. The proposed launch vehicle under this programme is the RS1 from ABL Space Systems, a US-based company developing 27 m tall rockets capable of carrying payloads up to 1000 kg into a sun-synchronous orbit. The UK Pathfinder Launch programme is supported by £23.5 million of UK Space Agency grants.

The launch site is also planned to be used by HyImpulse Technologies, a German rocket maker, who were initially aiming for engine and suborbital testing by the end of 2021, with orbital launches originally hoped for by 2023. In October 2021, Skyrora signed a multi-launch contract over the next decade for SaxaVord, originally intending to begin satellite launches in 2022.

Development

Plans for the spaceport were submitted to Shetland Islands Council by Farningham Planning in January 2021 to enable up to 30 launches per year. The proposal is for three rocket launch pads on Lambda Ness peninsula with additional infrastructure such as a satellite tracking facility, rocket hangars and integration facilities. The plans also document proposals for a Range Control Centre at the former RAF SaxaVord complex, fuel storage facilities at Ordale Airport at Baltasound, and improvements to the launch site's approach roads.

On 29 March 2021, Historic Environment Scotland (HES), a statutory body, refused consent for the development of the spaceport on the grounds it would impact a scheduled monument of national significance – the Chain Home radar station at Skaw. The refusal of consent carried significant legal weight, as it is a criminal offence to carry out works to a scheduled monument without such authorisation. Due to the almost one-to-one overlap of the monument location with the proposed spaceport, this refusal led to concerns being voiced about the viability of the spaceport project. In January 2022, HES withdrew the objection, stating "We recognise the benefits that this development will bring to the community in Unst".

Proposed operators and licencing

In January 2023, German company Rocket Factory Augsburg signed a multi-year launch agreement which would give exclusive access to the northernmost launch pad of the spaceport, Launch Pad Fredo, with testing of the RFA One core stage beginning in mid-2023 and a first launch scheduled as early as late 2023.

In May 2023, spaceport CEO Frank Strang announced a new $137 million debt financing package during a UK Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee hearing. The source of the funding was not revealed.

On 28 July 2023, the Civil Aviation Authority granted HyImpulse permission to launch its SR75 suborbital sounding rocket for the first time from SaxaVord between 1 December 2023 and 30 November 2024. HyImpulse subsequently moved the maiden flight of the SR75 to Koonibba Test Range in South Australia, citing delays to infrastructure at SaxaVord. The Civil Aviation Authority announced on 17 December 2023 that SaxaVord had nevertheless been granted a spaceport licence "to host up to 30 launches a year", making it "the first fully licenced vertical spaceport in Western Europe."

In April 2024, the spaceport was granted a range licence by the Civil Aviation Authority. In May 2024 Rocket Factory Augsburg's orbit-capable RFA One conducted an engine hotfire test at the spaceport site.

On 19 August 2024, a static fire test of the RFA One first stage with all nine engines was conducted, on the stage that was slated to fly on the maiden flight of RFA One. The test experienced an anomaly that resulted in a fire, subsequent explosion, loss of the stage, and major damage to the launch mount.

In October 2024, UK rocket manufacturer Orbex announced their intention to mothball their proposed Sutherland spaceport on the Scottish mainland near Tongue and relocate planned launches to SaxaVord (citing its more advanced state of development).

On 16 January 2025, the CAA granted a launch licence for the RFA One rocket to reach orbit, the first of its kind in the UK and Europe. This licence is limited to 10 launches per year as well as no more than two in any given month, and must give 60 days' notice for range safety purposes.

In popular culture

The site is adjacent to the Saxa Vord distillery, which released spaceport-themed products in response.

Notes

1. Most spacefaring nations launch only towards the open ocean, to ensure no risk to human populations in the event of a malfunction.

See also

• Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden
• Sutherland spaceport
• Space industry of Scotland

References

1. "Name change and rebrand for our rocket site". Shetland Space Centre. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
2. "SCEPTRE: Final Report" (PDF). Highlands & Islands Enterprise. DEIMOS UK Ltd. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
3. "UK's most northerly island identified as perfect for satellite launches – SaxaVord". saxavord.com. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
4. "Transfer of Lockheed Martin UKVL Pathfinder Programme to Unst". Shetland Space Centre. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
5. "Shetland spaceport boosts UK's plans for launch". gov.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
6. "Shetland space centre plans take step nearer launch". BBC. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
7. ^ "Proposed Development, Rev. E". Shetland Space Centre. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
8. David Todd (8 February 2021). "ABL's RS1 gets the nod from Lockheed Martin to fly from Unst in Shetland Islands". Seradata Space Intelligence. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
9. Foust, Jeff (7 February 2021). "Lockheed Martin selects ABL Space Systems for UK launch". SpaceNews. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
10. "Lockheed Martin and Orbex to launch UK into new space age". gov.uk (Press release). 16 July 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
11. "Lift-off for Shetland spaceport". gov.uk. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
12. "German rocket maker plans to launch from Unst". Shetland Space Centre. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
13. "Rocket company agrees multi-launch deal from Shetland spaceport". uk.news.yahoo.com. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
14. "Shetland space launch plans submitted". BBC News. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
15. "Prospect of major boost to Shetland economy as space launch site plans lodged". Shetland Space Centre. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
16. "Space centre to 'vigorously contest' project's refusal". Shetland Times. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
17. Skaw, radar station, Historic Environment Scotland
18. "Historic environment agency rejects space centre plan to build at former radar base". Shetland News. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
19. Marter, Hans (20 January 2022). "SaxaVord spaceport overcomes major planning hurdle". Press and Journal. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
20. Kellner, Jonas (11 January 2023). "Rocket Factory Augsburg's first launch to take place from SaxaVord Spaceport". Rocket Factory Augsburg. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
21. de Selding, Peter (22 May 2023). "Saxavord Spaceport Secures 173 Million in Debt Financing". Space Intel Report.
22. Parsonson, Andrew (17 August 2023). "HyImpulse to Debut SR75 Rocket No Earlier than December 1". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
23. Parsonson, Andrew (23 April 2024). "HyImpulse Arrives in Australia Ahead of Maiden SR75 Rocket Launch". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
24. "Shetland is first UK spaceport for vertical rocket launches". BBC News. 17 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
25. SaxaVord granted spaceport licence by UK Civil Aviation Authority UK Civil Aviation Authority, 2023-22-17.
26. "Shetland spaceport moves closer to first rocket launch". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
27. "Tiny Scottish island, with more sheep than people, becomes the U.K.'s first spaceport for vertical rockets". Fortune Europe. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
28. RFA first stage destroyed in static-fire test, SpaceNews, 19 August 2024.
29. Rocket engine explodes during test at Shetland spaceport, BBC News, 19 August 2024
30. "Rocket firm 'pauses' plan for Highland spaceport in Sutherland". BBC News. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
31. Foust, Jeff (16 January 2025). "RFA gets U.K. launch license". SpaceNews. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
32. "Shetland Reel Countdown Gin". Shetland Distillery Company Ltd. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
33. "Shetland Reel Mission Pouch". Shetland Distillery Company Ltd. Retrieved 17 January 2025.

External links

• Official website

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