The SaxaVord spaceport's construction on the Shetland Islands in the north of Scotland is set to start soon to list the first British vertical orbital launch later this 2022.
Space.com reported that according to a SaxaVord UK Spaceport will next work for the establishment of the launch of facilities to host the United Kingdom Pathfinder Launch project led by Lockheed Martin.
The mission targets six CubeSats in orbit using a small 89 feet long RS1 rocket made by startup ABL Space Systems based in California.
Initial works will be on improvements to access roads and a small new section of road, and negotiations are ongoing with Shetland Islands Council or SIC to finalize to program for them, the SaxaVord communications team said.
Only then, added the team, will construction work start on site, and thus, timelines at this phase are quite fluid. The council, nonetheless, is still working towards the present Pathfinder launch window for Q4 2022.
An overhead view of an inlet on the island of Yell in the North Isles, part of the Shetland Islands, north of the Scottish Mainland.
2nd Spaceport Project to Obtain Planning Approval from SIC
SaxaVord is situated on Unst, one of the Shetland Islands, the British Isles' northernmost inhabited part. The Shetlands lie off the north coast of Scotland, situated between the Faroe Islands and Norway in the Northern Atlantic.
Essentially, the spaceport obtained planning approval from SIC in end-February. The Scottish administration, which had 28 days within which it could decide to intervene, has authorized the project to continue.
In addition, SaxaVord had deals as well, with two European nations, including UK-Ukranian launch startup Skyrora, which aims to launch Skyrora XL, its first three-stage rocket from SaxaVord by the end of 2022; and France's Venture Orbital Systems, which signed a memorandum of understanding last month, launching its Zephyr launcher from SaxaVord beginning in 2024.
According to Frank Strang, CEO of SaxaVord Spaceport, upwards of $56 million over the next 18 months and up to $130 million in the next five years will be allotted for the project to establish three launchpads on Unst's Lamba Ness peninsula.
Aim to Host Up to 30 Launches Each Year
Since obtaining the planning approval, SaxaVord has filed applications for Spaceport and Range License application to the Civil Aviation Authority of the UK. The spaceport aims to host up to 30 launches each year in the future.
SaxaVord is not the lone spaceport project in the UK. It is the second spaceport to obtain planning approval, with Sutherland in Scotland reaching the milestone in 2020.
This project faced legal challenges earlier over issues like environmental protection, roads, and safety. They were later on dismissed in court.
The Press and Journal report specified that the landowner behind these problems recently agreed to work with the project supporters constructively. Meanwhile, Spaceport Cornwall is preparing this summer to host a Virgin Orbit launch for Space Forge, an in-space manufacturing firm based in Wales.
1st Horizontal Launch Anticipated
Essentially, Virgin Orbit uses its modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft called "Cosmic Girl," releasing its LauncherOne rockets from underneath its wing to send satellites to space.
The explosion in British spaceport activity has been supported by the country's space agency, which wants to see the UK turn into the first nation in Europe to carry out an orbital launch; this excludes French Guiana, an overseas territory of France in South America, hosting European Space Agency launches.
THE Deputy CEO of the UK Space Agency, Ian Annett, said they anticipate the first horizontal launch from Spaceport Cornwall later this year, followed by vertical launches from Scotland to SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland and Space Hub Sutherland.
A report about the SaxaVord Spaceport project is shown on Scott Manley's YouTube video below:
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