The UK government announced a £30m investment into SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland, aiming to build two more launchpads and a second hangar. The funding package, paired with £30m of planned private investment, seeks to establish regular commercial rocket launches from the northernmost point in the UK. A spaceport spokesperson said the funding was a hugely significant
vote of confidence and would unlock a further £30m of private investment. A government spokesperson said space was an increasingly important domain
for keeping the country safe.
The funding forms part of a new national space strategy and a £148m investment across Europe which ministers said would help UK space technology firms secure more work. Ministers said they wanted to create jobs and help Britain and its partners launch satellites without relying on countries “further afield. The UK government said the new space strategy would
drive growth, strengthen security and back the technologies that underpin modern life”.
Infrastructure Plans at SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst
Located on a former RAF base in Unst, SaxaVord is the UK’s first fully-licensed spaceport and has regulatory approval for up to 30 rocket launches a year. The company said the £60m public-private investment package would be used to design and build a second hangar and two more launchpads. Chief executive officer Scott Hammond said the funding would take the company to the next stage of its development, supporting completion of key infrastructure as it moves towards regular commercial launch operations.
“We are building the spaceport for the thousandth as much as the first launch,” he said. “We’re trying to create a successful, safe and sustainable business. This is direct investment into Shetland.”
Scott Hammond, Chief executive officer
Lise Kaae, chief executive of Heartland, which has a majority stake in SaxaVord Spaceport through its investment arm Wild Ventures, said: We are very pleased to welcome the UK government as an investor and partner.
Kaae added that their commitment is a strong endorsement of the ambitions for the company, the spaceport in Shetland, and the potential they have believed in for many years. The UK government investment is subject to due diligence and final sign-off, and SaxaVord Spaceport intends to make a further announcement, including details of the investment programme, once the agreement has been settled.
German Launch Partners Target Shetland Orbital Flights
Two German companies have signed launch agreements with the spaceport, which is being developed to accommodate multiple launch providers. Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) is working towards its first vertical orbital test flight from UK soil. In August, SaxaVord paused plans for a test launch after RFA said it had encountered an issue
. A five-week “launch window” had been due to begin, with temporary traffic restrictions introduced in the event of a flight attempt.
A second company, HyImpulse Technologies GmbH (HyImpulse), plans the second flight of its SR75 suborbital launch vehicle from Shetland this year. The German firm recently secured investment of more than €50m (£43). SaxaVord Spaceport has confirmed that it is in discussions with other companies, including further launch service providers.
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said: Scotland already builds more satellites than anywhere else in Europe, and with a £30m UK government investment boost, SaxaVord is now poised to deliver up to three-quarters of the continent's orbital launch slots.
He added that defence, security and economic growth were at the heart of the plan.
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