Scottish spaceport hit by rocket explosion
August 20, 2024
By Chris Forrester
Scotland’s SaxaVord Spaceport suffered an explosion on August 19th, when Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) conducted a ‘hot fire’ test of its first stage of its rocket.
RFA was testing its nine–engine first stage at the Unst, Shetland launch pad when it suffered an anomaly. RFA said no–one was injured in the explosion and the launch pad had been saved.
“The launch pad has been saved and is secured, the situation is under control, and any immediate danger has beenmitigated,” said RFA.
RFA, which is based in Augsburg, Germany, said it was working with the spaceport and authorities to determine thecause of the failure.
The company’s statement said: “We develop iteratively with an emphasis on real testing.”
RFA had carried out successful test in May and fired four of the rocket’s nine Helix engines.
“This is part of our philosophy and we were aware of the higher risks attached to this approach. Our goal is to return toregular operations as soon as possible,” added the statement.
It comes three months after the site’s first rocket test was carried out and declared a success. SaxaVord’s aim is to launch up to 30 rockets and their satellite cargos annually. RFA had planned to launch a full–scale rocket in September. That plan is now likely to be delayed.