SaxaVord Spaceport is the UK's first licensed vertical launch spaceport, located in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It serves as a critical infrastructure provider for the UK's end-to-end space capability, facilitating orbital satellite deployment and suborbital missions. SaxaVord partners with launch providers like Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) and works with aviation and maritime agencies to ensure safe launch operations.
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Orbex expects the decision to switch operations to help it reach first launch in 2025 and to provide SaxaVord with another customer to strengthen its commercial proposition.
Orbex indicated that the move to SaxaVord will free up resources to accelerate its goal of achieving first launch in 2025.
Rocket Factory Augsburg plans to return to SaxaVord Spaceport for a launch attempt sometime in 2025.
SaxaVord Spaceport received a CAA license last year allowing the spaceport to host up to 30 launches annually.
Rocket Factory Augsburg experienced a static-fire explosion that ended its plans to perform the first vertical launch to orbit from British soil from SaxaVord 2024.
SaxaVord Spaceport and Sutherland Spaceport in the United Kingdom are developing facilities with plans to host orbital launches as soon as 2025.
SaxaVord was rated three on the Spaceport Readiness Level after building infrastructure and receiving a site license but before hosting a launch.
Rocket Factory Augsburg's RFA ONE rocket is undergoing final testing at SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands.
RFA plans to make another launch attempt from SaxaVord sometime in 2025.
El Segundo, California-based ABL Space Systems’ plan to launch from SaxaVord next year is uncertain after the company recently lost a rocket during a static-fire test.
Rocket Factory Augsburg shipped the first stage of its RFA ONE rocket to SaxaVord Spaceport for a hotfire test ahead of its first launch later in 2023.
HyImpulse UK is a Shetland-based launch company developing the SL1 launch vehicle proposed to launch from SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst.
The latest SaxaVord licence is the 352nd space activity approved by the Civil Aviation Authority since the CAA became the UK’s space regulator in July 2021.
Multiple international launch operators are developing rockets to launch from SaxaVord and are at various stages of assessment with the Civil Aviation Authority.
HyImpulse signed a letter of intent on 2023-11-15 to perform launches from SaxaVord.
Astra Space announced a partnership with SaxaVord Spaceport in May 2022 and previously expressed interest in launching from SaxaVord.
HyImpulse plans to begin suborbital launches from SaxaVord as soon as August 2024 and expects orbital launches to begin in late 2025.
Companies planning to launch from SaxaVord include ABL Space Systems, HyImpulse, Rocket Factory Augsburg, and Skyrora.
HyImpulse has an agreement dated 2023-11-15 to launch from SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetlands.
HyImpulse plans to begin orbital launches from SaxaVord Spaceport as soon as late 2025.