Sutherland Spaceport, also known as Space Hub Sutherland or UK Vertical Launch (UKVL) Sutherland, is a planned, commercially operated spaceport located in Sutherland, Scotland. It aims to be one of the first vertical launch-capable spaceports in the United Kingdom, with Orbex selected to oversee construction, manage the site, and launch its Orbex Prime rocket. Sutherland Spaceport is designed to be a carbon-neutral spaceport for launching small satellites into polar and sun-synchronous orbits.
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Lockheed Martin opted in 2020 to conduct a U.K. Pathfinder launch from SaxaVord Spaceport using a vehicle provided by ABL Space Systems instead of Sutherland Spaceport.
Orbex will use Sutherland Spaceport to launch as many as 12 orbital rockets per year for satellite deployment.
The public investment package for Sutherland Spaceport includes just over £9 million from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Scottish Government and £2.55 million that the UK Space Agency announced in 2018.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will contribute £3 million to support the development of Sutherland Spaceport.
The UK Space Agency provided £2.5 million towards Sutherland Spaceport and £5.5 million for the development of Orbex’s Prime rocket.
Prime is planned to launch from Sutherland Spaceport in northern Scotland.
Orbex is developing a launch vehicle named Prime that is capable of placing up to 180 kg into orbit and plans to launch from the Sutherland spaceport in Scotland.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise began developing plans for the Sutherland spaceport in 2018 with specialist input from architects NORR and construction consultants Gardiner and Theobald.
The Sutherland spaceport is being constructed on land owned and managed by the Melness Crofters’ Estate.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise began developing plans for the Sutherland spaceport in 2018 with input from architects NORR and construction consultants Gardiner and Theobald.
Plans for Sutherland Spaceport date back to 2018 when the U.K. Space Agency selected the site as its preferred location for a vertical launch facility.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise announced on 2020-06-26 that a local government committee approved plans for the Sutherland spaceport site, while final approvals by the Scottish government remain pending.
On 2020-01-14, TriSept Corp. plans to purchase an Orbex Prime launch vehicle for a dedicated rideshare mission to fly from Scotland’s Sutherland Spaceport in 2022.
The U.K. Space Agency selected the Sutherland spaceport site and later identified companies that had agreed to launch from the site with additional government support.
Lockheed Martin hopes to start launching from the Sutherland spaceport as soon as 2020, subject to regulatory approvals for building the spaceport and launching from it.