Tag: Scotland
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UK Announces £500 Million Space Investment Package With £20 Million for Scottish Spaceports
The United Kingdom has unveiled a £500 million spending package aimed at supporting the country’s space sector, including £20 million allocated to accelerate the development of spaceport infrastructure in Scotland. The funding plan was announced on March 4 during the Space-Comm Expo 2026 by Liz Lloyd, the UK’s Minister for the Digital Economy. The broader…
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Rocket Factory Augsburg Delivers RFA ONE Stages to SaxaVord Ahead of Planned Test Flight
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has delivered the first and second stages of its RFA ONE launch vehicle to SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland as the company prepares for a planned test flight later this year. The German launch provider said the first stage was recently built and tested at its facilities in Augsburg, Germany, before being…
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Skyrora Eyes Orbex Assets Including Scottish Spaceport After Rival’s Financial Troubles
British rocket developer Skyrora said on Thursday it is considering acquiring selected assets from rival Orbex, including a planned spaceport in northern Scotland, after the smaller launch company disclosed financial difficulties. Skyrora, headquartered in Glasgow, said it intends to explore purchasing parts of Orbex’s business, notably the Sutherland Spaceport project on Scotland’s north coast, in…
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A frontrunner in Europe’s private launch industry just lost its first rocket
The first stage of Rocket Factory Augsburg’s first orbital launcher was destroyed in a fireball during a test-firing Monday evening at a spaceport in Scotland, the company said. The German launch startup aimed to send its first rocket into space later this year and appeared to be running ahead of several competitors in Europe’s commercial…
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RFA static fires at SaxaVord Spaceport as other UK spaceports continue to develop
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), from Augsburg, Germany, appears to have made a significant step toward the first vertical orbital launch attempt from the United Kingdom (UK). On May 16, RFA successfully conducted an unannounced first static fire of the first stage of its RFA ONE rocket. A video showing the test has since been released,…
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Start of construction paves way for first UK mainland vertical launch
The ground-breaking ceremony to mark the start of construction was attended by a number of officials, including (from left): Richard Lochhead, Minister for Small Business, Innovation & Trade, Scottish Government; Kristian von Bengtson, Chief Development Officer & Interim CEO, Orbex; Dorothy Pritchard, Chair, Melness Crofters’ Estate; Bart Markus, Chairman, Orbex; Ian Annett, Deputy CEO, UK…
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Scottish spaceport formally approved by Highland Council
Plans to launch small satellites from the Scottish Highlands took a step closer to fruition Wednesday after the Highland Council North Planning Applications Committee granted its final approval for the construction of a “Space Hub” in the northern county of Sutherland. The Space Hub Sutherland project, put forward by the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE),…
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Scottish spaceport formally approved by Highland Council
Plans to launch small satellites from the Scottish Highlands took a step closer to fruition Wednesday after the Highland Council North Planning Applications Committee granted its final approval for the construction of a “Space Hub” in the northern county of Sutherland. The Space Hub Sutherland project, put forward by the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE),…
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British government selects Scotland’s Sutherland site to be prime U.K. spaceport
Artwork shows the spaceport at Scotland’s Sutherland site. (HIE / Courtesy of Perfect Circle PV) The British government has selected a spot in Sutherland, on the A’Mhoine Peninsula in the Scottish Highlands, as the site of the country’s first vertical-launch spaceport. Three other sites will receive boosts for horizontal air-launch operations. In a news release…