SaxaVord Spaceport
 Proposed site on Lamba Ness | |||||||
 | |||||||
| Location | Lamba Ness, Unst, Shetland, Scotland, UK | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinates | 60°49′06″N 0°46′09″W / 60.8184°N 0.7692°W | ||||||
| |||||||
SaxaVord Spaceport, previously known as Shetland Space Centre,[1] is a planned spaceport to be located on the Lamba Ness peninsula on Unst, the most northerly of the Shetland Islands. The proposed site is near the RAF Saxa Vord radar station and the settlement of Skaw, adjacent to the Saxa Vord distillery.
History
Lockheed Martin's UK Pathfinder satellite launch system may launch from this spaceport.[2][3][4][5] 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.[6][7] The UK Pathfinder Launch programme is supported by £23.5 million of UK Space Agency grants.[8][9]
The launch site would also be used by HyImpulse Technologies, a German rocket maker aiming for engine and suborbital testing by the end of 2021, with orbital launches by 2023.[10]
In October 2021, Skyrora signed a multi-launch deal over the next decade for this site, hoping to start sending satellites into orbit within 2022.[11]
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 Lamba 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 Saxa Vord complex, fuel storage facilities at Ordale Airport at Baltasound, and improvements to the launch site's approach roads.[12][13]
On 29 March 2021, Historic Environment Scotland (HES), a statutory body, refused consent for the development on the grounds it would destroy a scheduled monument of national significance.[14] The refusal of consent carries 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 has led to concerns being voiced about the viability of the Shetland spaceport project.[15] On 20 January 2022, Historic Environment Scotland withdrew its objection, stating "We recognise the benefits that this development will bring to the community in Unst".[16]
In January 2023, Rocket Factory Augsburg signed a multi-year launch agreement which would give the company 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 in late 2023.[17]
In May 2023 the CEO Frank Strang announced a new £137,000,000 debt financing package during a UK Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee hearing.[18] The source of the funding was not revealed.
0.6miles
Ness
and storage area
tracking area
centre
See also
References
- ^ "Name change and rebrand for our rocket site". Shetland Space Centre. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Transfer of Lockheed Martin UKVL Pathfinder Programme to Unst". Shetland Space Centre. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Shetland spaceport boosts UK's plans for launch". gov.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Shetland space centre plans take step nearer launch". BBC. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Proposed Development, Rev. E". Shetland Space Centre. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Foust, Jeff (7 February 2021). "Lockheed Martin selects ABL Space Systems for UK launch". SpaceNews. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ "Lockheed Martin and Orbex to launch UK into new space age". gov.uk (Press release). 16 July 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ "Lift-off for Shetland spaceport". gov.uk. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ "German rocket maker plans to launch from Unst". Shetland Space Centre. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ "Rocket company agrees multi-launch deal from Shetland spaceport". uk.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Shetland space launch plans submitted". BBC News. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
- ^ "Prospect of major boost to Shetland economy as space launch site plans lodged". Shetland Space Centre. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ "Space centre to 'vigorously contest' project's refusal". Shetland Times. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ "Historic environment agency rejects space centre plan to build at former radar base". Shetland News. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ Marter, Hans. "SaxaVord spaceport overcomes major planning hurdle". Press and Journal. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ Kellner, Jonas (11 January 2023). "Rocket Factory Augsburg's first launch to take place from SaxaVord Spaceport". Rocket Factory Augsburg. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ de Selding, Peter (22 May 2023). "Saxavord Spaceport Secures 173 Million in Debt Financing". Space Intel Report.
External links
 | This space- or spaceflight-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about a Scottish building or structure is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |