The next UK spaceport licences are likely to be awarded in Scotland this year, as the country's burgeoning space launch industry races to be the first to successfully achieve an orbit space launch after Virgin Orbit's failure this week.
While Virgin is in talks about trying again this year, UK authorities are examining applications from a number of potential sites in Scotland, including the SaxaVord Spaceport on the Shetland island of Unst and perhaps also the Sutherland spaceport near Inverness.
SaxaVord this week signed an agreement with rocket startup Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), including a planned first launch of the RFA One rocket system from the Shetland islands at the end of this year.
Meanwhile, Sutherland - a former peat harvesting site - has been bought by nearby-based launch startup, Orbex, which is working with NASA contractor Jacobs Solutions Inc to complete construction and make their first launch.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which is the licencing body for spaceports across the country, in November granted its first UK spaceport licence to Spaceport Cornwall, which is based at Newquay airport.
The CAA's head of space regulation, Colin Macleod, said the regulator is “already assessing a range of applications from companies based in Scotland,” including an application from SaxaVord.
Expected timeline
Consultations on the environmental impact of SaxaVord's plans have already been conducted, Macleod said, adding that “we’re hoping the first Scottish licence will be issued later this year”.
A UK Space Agency spokesman echoed this, saying it was also working towards vertical launches from SaxaVord and Sutherland, with timings depending on many factors but it is hoped to be “within the year”.
The CAA is assessing evidence around safety, security and the environment to determine if the applications meet the statutory requirements for granting licences for UK launches, he said.
It typically takes six to 12 months for a spaceport licence to be issued and between nine and 18 months for launch operators from the point an application is received, he said, with UK regulations “on a competitive footing” with other international space regulators.
Licence applications must prioritise public safety and satisfy regulators that the spaceport operator is managing safety risks “to as low as reasonably practicable”.
Timelines can be up to a year based on the quality and timeliness of the evidence submitted by applicants, the CAA suggested, with the granting of licences subject to the statutory requirements set out in the Space Industry Act 2018.
Scotland goes to space
Spaceport Cornwall and Virgin Orbit were hailed by Space Scotland director Daniel Smith this week for their work with regulators and the private sector, saying they “inspired our teams in Scotland by demonstrating that UK space launches are no longer just a possibility, but an active reality”.
SaxaVord, situated near a former RAF station, completed its first launch pad and launch stool at the end of last year, making it the first ready for vertical orbital rocket launches in the UK and mainland Europe.
"In the future, the launch pad will not only be used for orbital launches, but for testing and qualification of the RFA ONE core stages. These tests are expected to begin in mid-2023. The first launch will then be into a 500 km high sun-synchronous orbit," it said.
Last year the spaceport said this will be one of three orbital launch pads that will support up to 30 vertical launches a year, employing up to 200 people in connection with each launch.
In 2020 the site was chosen to host the UK Space Agency’s UK Pathfinder launch, which is planned to be delivered by Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) and ABL Systems, in 2023.
The spaceport company was formed in 2017 by chief executive Frank Strang and his wife Debbie Strang at the former RAF Saxa Vord base, with the launch site at nearby Lamba Ness.