Skyrora and SaxaVord Spaceport say that the first mission will take place in 2022.

British rocket company Skyrora has agreed a multi-launch deal with the SaxaVord spaceport on Unst, the most northerly of the Shetland Islands, as it moves closer to launching its XL rocket in 2022.

This is the first agreement Skyrora has made with a Scottish Spaceport. If successful, this could be the first commercial rocket to go to space from the UK.

The multi-launch agreement with SaxaVord will run for the next decade, giving Skyrora the ability to build towards their target of 16 launches a year by 2030.

According to a study by Scottish Enterprise last year, forecast income from Scotland’s space sector could reach over £2 billion by 2030 with plans to double income to £4 billion while providing data solutions to combat climate change.

“This launch agreement will build on the impressive development of the Scottish space sector in recent years, creating even more jobs in an industry that has already grown 12% year-on-year while the UK as a whole has grown 3%. Beyond this, the move brings the supply chain of the sector all within Scotland, providing huge environmental benefits by addressing the sustainability and administrative issues around exporting to different launch sites across Europe.

Once operational, the SaxaVord spaceport is expected to create 140 jobs locally, with an additional 70 jobs across the Shetland. Shetland Space Centre recently changed its name to SaxaVord Spaceport, rebranding to position itself at the heart of the new space economy in Europe.  Skyrora has been testing increasingly larger rockets with short high-altitude launches since 2018 in the build up to the proposed launch next year.

Last year, it conducted the first rocket test on UK soil in 50 years as well as launched its Skylark Micro from Iceland. These preparations have been gradually moving towards ultimately launching the three-stage Skyrora XL rocket to orbit, standing over 22 metres tall and capable of carrying up to 315 kilograms to orbit. Skyrora’s aim is to create over 170 jobs by 2030. In just the last few months, their company team has expanded by 30%.”

Commenting on the deal, Volodymyr Levykin, Skyrora’s founder and CEO, said:

“We have made no secret of our ambition to be the first company to launch from UK soil so it’s really exciting to agree to this multi-launch deal with SaxaVord. We are proud to be at the forefront of space innovation in the UK, deploying our assets and helping to unlock exciting opportunities as part of the new space economy. The UK is a world leader in space technology, and this latest move brings us another crucial step closer to offering a significant space service from our own soil.”

Frank Strang, CEO of Saxavord Spaceport, said:

“As we look forward to launches from Unst next year, this is yet another exciting development and we look forward to working with the Skyrora team to help them meet their goal of delivering their XL rocket into orbit. The SaxaVord Spaceport location and the can-do attitude of our team mean we are perfectly placed to support Skyrora’s endeavours.”

At the end of last year, Skyrora also successfully completed trials of the third stage of the Skyrora XL rocket, including its orbital transfer vehicle (OTV), a vehicle that once in orbit can refire its engines around 15 times to complete tasks such as acting as a space tug, maintenance, or de-orbiting of defunct satellites. The vehicle will be used to address the ever-increasing volume of space debris orbiting Earth, one of the biggest problems facing the global space industry, say the firm.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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78 COMMENTS

  3. A very important domestic capability this is, I think the Satellites are even built here (Stevenage?), but I’m not sure if its a British Company. Anyways, good news!

    • Stevenage is an airbus site making large satellites, which are often too large for skyrora, more typically looking at cube sats made in Glasgow by Clyde space, or in Guilford by SSTL

    • Surrey Satellite Technology is a world leader in small satellites, they were supposed to be working with Skyrora I thought but no mention of them here I note.

      Also Skynet 6 is being built here and is probably the one you are referencing in Stevenage built by Airbus.

      will be interesting to see if any aspects or a new generation of OneWeb satellites will ever be built here when the Govt brings its GPS/Communications features or whatever form they eventually plan with that company.

    • According to Wikipedia – so it must be true! – Skyrora’s CEO is one  Volodymyr Levykin who used to manage a Dating Company.

      It also claims it is headquartered in Edinburgh.

  4. Cornwall Spaceport at Newquay Airport is also aiming to start launches next year.

    That would give the UK two operational launch sites, one vertical launch and one horizontal launch.

    Exciting times for our space industry.

    Cheers CR

  6. HMG are definitely doubling down on Scotland staying in UK. Sincerely hope it doesn’t blow up in their faces and ours.

    • On the first i’m not qualified to judge on the second I seriously doubt the UK would want to depend on a foreign govt for bases essential to its national security. In the same way it wouldn’t for its naval shipbuilding.

    • No it wont the goverments have said for 10 years if independance occurs, strategic sights (ship biulding, sub bases, space launch) what ever they are will not be used in a foreign country especially one that will be refused entry from NATO for being anti nuclear .

  10. Realistically, not far. If i looked at that and didn’t know i would have guessed missile before rocket. Nevertheless, it would take investment to develop that into a ballistic missile. Still think we should have those, we can’t just jump to nukes. And we should definitely have more SAM systems.

    • Depends on how you define the missile as a weapon. If you are looking at a Scud equivalent. Then you’ll need to incorporate more navigation sensors and cover the nose in an ablative coating to shield it when coming back down following its apogee. Plus turn the payload into a warhead. Yes, its more than doable. You could also use the rocket purely as a launcher, to place a re-entry vehicle into low to medium orbit to give it a very long reach. Countries like Iran did it the other way round. Where they developed a ballistic missile weapon, then converted it to launching satellites.

  13. I’ve just read on Wikipedia that Historic Environment Scotland, “refused consent for the development on the grounds it would destroy a scheduled monument of national significance”.

    Apparently, this occured in March of this year so I am guessing that this issue has been resolved – the HES is a statutory body so its’ consent is a legal requirement.

    Does anyone know more?

    Cheers CR

    • It’s not resolved as yet. The monument in question is the old RAF Skaw, a fairly well preserved Chain Home radar site. There are also environmental objections on the grounds of the impact on peat. As of yet, the planning application for the proposed spaceport hasn’t been considered, so it’s down to seeing what happens when the Council, and potentially later ministers, review it.

    • The planning authority hasn’t yet given it’s decision, so we’re still waiting to see what will happen. There’s a lot to do from getting a positive decision – roadbuilding, construction on the site at Lamba Ness – so it will be interesting to see how long the planning process takes to resolve.

    • That was the Sutherland space port. One of the shareholders in the Shetland space port challenged planning permission being granted to the Sutherland site, a judge through out that challenge.

    • Hi CR,
      All I’ve heard since the March announcement was that SaxaVord intend to fight it tooth and nail. IMO the only way they’ll be able to get it to go forward is to submit new plans that don’t affect the nearby historical remains as much as the current ones.

      But since there’s been silence I can only presume that the spaceport is ploughing ahead looking for investors and partners while still getting their appeal together.

      • Hi Dern,

        Thanks for that.

        I can’t see something this high profile getting stopped so I would be surprised if something does not get sorted out. Having said that they should have done their homework and id’ed the problem before applying for permission…

        Cheers CR

  14. I know these people almost certainly know what they are doing, but.
    Its the most northerly point of the UK and so payload capacity is limited. There is wind almost all of the time and it rains a lot, surely not the best attributes for rocket launches.
    Something like 650 people live there on Unst and its location must make recruitment of engineers and support staff and the like much harder as there cannot be much to engage with other than work. There is also a big lack of infrastructure as you would expect at the end of the UK. Just feels like someone said to make it as difficult as possible.
    On the bright side, there is a distillery almost next door.

      • The launches will be from Lamba Ness not the old RAF Saxa Vord buildings where the distillery is! That’s the control centre and office buildings.

    • “I know these people almost certainly know what they are doing, but.
      Its the most northerly point of the UK and so payload capacity is limited. There is wind almost all of the time and it rains a lot, surely not the best attributes for rocket launches.”

      Yeah, i don’t understand this.

      The Italians have the Vega and they are thinking of using the soon to be retired light carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi for rocket launching but probably will continue to stay in Guiana.

      • They’re mainly planning on using SaxaVord and SPS for SSO’s and Polar Orbits ie launching North. In general the UK is badly sighted for normal orbits though (only east coast can launch over water and most of that is densely populated), which is why I always think Ascension should get a Spaceport.

  15. The interesting bit may be in anti ballistic missile defence, having a space industry with an orbital booster is a needed steep for a realistic ballistic missile defence for the U.K. as we are only ever really going to be threatened by intermediated range or Intercontinental range missiles and for that system you need an kill vehicle lofted by an orbital booster.

    The whole ship launched Ballistic missile defence is fine for short/medium range ballistic missiles but they are pissing in the wind against longer range systems with far higher apogees.

  16. Technically it is a Ballistic missile. Skylark L’s apogee is at 102km, so juuuust above the Karman line and into Space. While Skyrora XL is a full on Orbital Rocket.

    Now if you want to use them Ballistically you just need to find a payload that’s less than 300kg. (Or for Skylark L 50kg)

  20. Love to see they are trying to justify this on environmental grounds. Cant wait to see the 1st all electric plug in rocket.😄 For that I will doff my hat. Well done though better launched here and giving us that capability and income than elsewhere.

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