The UK government is actively exploring domestic alternatives for the launch of UK Space Command satellites as it seeks to position itself as a European leader in small satellite launches.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Damien Egan, MP for Bristol North East, Defence Minister Luke Pollard outlined the government’s approach, highlighting a £111 million investment in the UK’s space launch sector.
“The Government is developing the UK’s emerging space launch industry, aiming to become a European leader in commercial small satellite launches. This effort involves approximately £111 million being invested in the UK’s launch capabilities, including a recent £20 million investment to enable UK rocket manufacturer Orbex to complete construction of their launch vehicle Prime.”
This investment includes £20 million for UK-based rocket manufacturer Orbex, supporting the construction of their ‘Prime’ launch vehicle, which is expected to play a key role in future UK satellite launches.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is actively supporting the expansion of the UK’s spaceflight sector, working alongside the UK Space Agency and international partners to ensure strategic launch capability.
Pollard also confirmed the UK’s involvement in NATO’s STARLIFT programme, a developing initiative aimed at enhancing the alliance’s ability to launch and maintain space assets.
“Defence supports the UK’s launch ambitions, working with the UK Space Agency to help develop a thriving UK spaceflight sector and with our international partners to assist their launch requirements. This includes involvement in the early development of NATO’s STARLIFT programme to enhance space launch capabilities within the alliance, ensuring readiness for future launch needs.”
The question was raised in the context of the Tyche satellite launch, the UK’s first dedicated defence satellite, which lifted off in February aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9.
While no specific timeline has been given for fully transitioning launches to UK soil, the government’s investment signals a clear ambition to establish sovereign launch capabilities for future UK military and commercial space operations.
Fingers crossed for Orbex later this year.
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I guess you can launch small sats from anywhere, but if Britain wanted to fully get into the space launch business, would some place closer to the equator like Ascension Island make more sense?
Not so much now a days, equatorial launches make sense for Geostationary orbit but much of what we need now a days, especially military applications requires polar orbits and the UK is perfect for that.
Indeed and RocketLab proved at the other end of the planet that there is a lot of business available for launch sites closer to the poles it’s a great growth area indeed, which is why SaxaVord was chosen as its as far north one can get in the British isles and Orbex has now moved there. Equally as RFA are the launch customer there even though a German company give an alternative option and the advantage there is that they are planning a Falcon 9 sized rocket eventually. In talks with a couple others too so SaxaVord could get quite busy and is presently the only launch site with all needed launch permits though it will after RFAs setback last year, be a close run thing with Norway as to who gets to orbit first.
Just imagine where we could’ve been if we’d carried on with Black Arrow.
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Not entirely “anywhere.” For most orbits you want to launch somewhere where there is sea to the East, because if the launch fails you’ll want to make sure that it crashes into the sea (and you generally want to launch towards the east because that’s more fuel efficient, the earths rotation gives you a boost).
What Spy in the Sky is talking about is when you’re launching so that a satellite orbits the earth from North Pole to South Pole you want to launch Nortwards, so… sea to the North.
So why are several of the prospective UK launch sites on the Western edges? Cornwall, Snowdonia, Prestwick, etc. Is this a horizontal versus vertical thing?
Who remembers Spadeadam and the Blue Streak? i remember when Elso had blue streak as its first stage and the subsequent Franco-German stage qas the one that always failed. those were the days.
Quite a lot of those records are in Derby Records Office [Rolls Royce rockets division] if you have a spare few weeks to go through them!
I must admit I haven’t looked at them but they caught my eye in a catalogue search!!
I remember Black Knight which came out of what was planned as a second stage or at least a re-entry vehicle for Blue Streak and Black Arrow that developed from it. The former 22 out of 22 launches with only minor problems on any of them, Falcon 1 could only have dreamed of that success and Black Arrow was successful too with two successes out of 4 flights in fact arguably 3 as one was only a partial failure when the first stage cut out too early leaving the third stage short of orbit. Indeed I don’t think the novel Gamma engines ever had a failure. Those were the days incredible what they achieved on such a minimal budget.
Here we go again dreaming big dreams of Space Cowboys when we can’t even field a proper division in Europe. Pathetic dreaming
How the hell are those two things mutually exclusive?
Both are needed.
You clearly know nothing of the space industry in the 2020s everyone is at it now as costs are a fraction of what they once were and the technology very mature, geez even New Zealand and soon Australia have impressive launch capability. Spain is well advanced in a launch vehicle and Italy has Vega while Germany is soon to have two. It’s vital Europe has its own launch options with what’s going on in the US and Musk’s suspect, erotic and paranoid behaviour. Fact is even now Britains Space industry earns more per pound/dollar invested than the US one. So no not z space Cowboys ar all just Space realists not letting other Countries grabbing leads on us as usual.
There are so many reasons that having a space program are important. For a very long time the UK has missed out on being a nation that could build and launch multi stage orbital vehicles…and being able to do that is just as important for our defence as being able to plop a division in Poland..
Wasn’t there a big plan to use the Shetland islands and Cornwall as rocket launch locations. I guess they fell through
Shetland is going ahead after a couple years delayed and has been licensed for 10 launches a year, Cornwall has had one launch already which failed at the final stage.
Update I read further Virgin Orbit which operated Cornwall has filed for bankruptcy.
They went bankrupt not-long after the failed launch.
Isn’t there another launch site in Scotland as well?
Orbex were developing a laugh site at Sutherland. But the project is on pause in favour of getting Prime into service from Saxa Vord in Shetland for the time being, and developing the successor larger rocket Orbex Proxima, which the British Government hopes will win a new ESA launcher competition. Proxima should be in the smallsat scale (Prime is Minisat at 180kg to LEO) so should be able to launch recon sats.
So you haven’t heard of SaxaVord (Nth Shetlands) I presume, it’s the first European launch site to get all its launch permits and will be the biggest launch facility in Europe when fully operational with at least 3 launch companies committed there. Fingers crossed first launch is due for Summer and possible there may be a second this year but plans are for around a dozen a year or more when fully up and running with potential for medium size launchers eventually. It’s already taking on University students for 3 month internships so developing future talent too.
Cornwall was also never really a Launch location, in addition to what John T said; the idea was for a 747 to hoik a rocket to cursing altitutde and then launch it. So Cornwall would never really have had traditional rocket launch infrastructure, just used an airport to load up the 747.
It was a viable launch method, that simply copied something the USAF had previously done from B52s. Unfortunately Virgin Orbit went bust not-long after the failed first launch.
There was Sutherland spaceport, but after Orbex jumped ship to SaxaVord on Unst it was mothballed ? I was on Unst last year, if I remember it correctly Rocket Factory Augsburg were setting up for test firing.
Yes unfortunately they had a test mishap on their launch platform late last year which has delayed matters but hopefully if tests go right this time are planning for a Summer launch.
Maybe they should not have let Reqction Engines go under!
Jim and I disagree on the success of their design he claims it didn’t work, but that’s not what I have found, indeed Mercedes have a licence to develop the pre cooler technology for its automotive platforms, indeed as an aside they have already acquired the British electric motor company that makes the most efficient/powerful electric motors in the World currently so we must be doing something right with technology if not always supporting it.
However I think we both agree that whatever the merits of the overall Sabre engine design and it had many it was something of a piece of technology that was essentially struggling to find a practical purpose (certainly for the hefty investment needed) as single stage to orbit space planes are only just about feasible (with present state of technology) due to Earths atmosphere and gravity. A little less and feasibility with adequate payload looks a lot healthier a little more and it isn’t feasible at all, indeed traditional rockets barely fall within those parameters but are essentially a lot simpler a concept. Equally Sabre would have been very wasteful and expensive for hypersonic missiles so really it’s advantages are best suited to ground launched long range hypersonic missiles or high altitude hypersonic jets of which there are few likely options for it certainly in a cost effective proposed programme.
However I still expect hybrid engines to become an important factor in the future for hypersonic flight, but I suspect they will incorporate simpler ram/scramjets alongside the jet core or later possibly rotating combustion in place of the rocket element which would be very efficient if they can make it work reliably.
Well , we could bribe the ANC & get the blueprints for the RSA4 small sat launcher/MRBM. After all, Iran did.
I see a business opportunity for the Falkland Islands!
Of course, the main takeaway is Sovereign capability and the ability to deliver copycat of Elon Musk’s system which might just have a lot of commercial interest given recent events.
A Sovereign capability would also allow Ukraine to divest itself of Musk and his benign offerings and improve their hand in the future.
This is absolutely something we should be doing.
So, their newest fighter, the F-47 Donald.
I hope someone paints one orange for a laugh!
Whoops! Wrong page.
The Donald Duck