SaxaVord gains CAA approval to launch
December 19, 2023
By Chris Forrester
Scottish spaceport SaxaVord has been licensed to operate rocket launches by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority.
The site is at Unst on Shetland and is scheduled to host the UK Space Agency’s UK Pathfinder launch, which will be delivered by Lockheed Martin and ABL Systems. SaxaVord has a roster of clients including Rocket Factory Augsburg, HyImpulse, Lockheed Martin/ABL Systems and Skyrora.
SaxaVord becomes the first licensed vertical launch spaceport in the UK and Western Europe following extensive assessment by the space regulator to check that appropriate safety, security and environmental criteria are met, and that SaxaVord has suitable infrastructure, equipment and services to accommodate vertical space launches.
CEO, Frank Strang, said: “The award of our spaceport licence is both historic for Shetland, Scotland and the UK and places us firmly at the leading edge of the European and global space economy. As importantly for me it is also a fantastic achievement by our Operations and Licencing Team led by Scott Hammond who have been working tirelessly alongside the CAA for almost three years to secure this award. Our team is very proud that the Government has entrusted us with operating a complex, multi-disciplinary and multi-launch spaceport and we all take this responsibility very seriously.”
UK Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, added: “The United Kingdom’s space industry is growing, with SaxaVord set for lift off to become this country’s first vertical spaceport. [The] announcement will boost Shetland’s economy and put the United Kingdom at the forefront of spaceflight innovation.”
This activity is supporting an ever-growing space industry estimated to be worth £17.5 billion and support 48,800 jobs, with over 2200 space companies based in the UK.