Construction has begun at a new UK rocket launch site that aims to be the world’s first carbon-neutral spaceport.
Sutherland Spaceport, formerly known as Space Hub Sutherland, held a ground-breaking ceremony yesterday at the site, which is situated on a peninsula on the northern coast of the Highlands.
The vertical launch site is owned under a 50-year lease by rocket startup Orbex, which took ownership in November and aims to use the site to launch up to 12 orbital rockets per year carrying satellites into Earth’s orbit.
Ground-breaking: from left, Scottish govt minister Richard Lochhead, Orbex interim CEO Kristian von Bengtson, Melness Crofters' Estate chair Dorothy Pritchard, Orbex chairman Bart Markus, UK Space Agency's Ian Annett, HIE director David Oxley
UK Space Agency deputy chief executive Ian Annett said it “demonstrates the UK’s growing launch capability and the thriving space sector in Scotland”.
Scotland is expected to host the first vertical orbital launch from UK soil later this year, from either Sutherland or Shetland-based SaxaVord Spaceport.
Both the construction and operation of Sutherland Spaceport is intended to be carbon-neutral, including peat lifted during construction being moved to help repair nearby areas of degraded peatland and Orbex’s reusable rockets to be powered by renewable bio-fuel.
It was also confirmed on Friday that £3mln of funding will be provided by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority following the decommissioning of the nearby Dounreay nuclear power station, joining £9mln from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the Scottish Government and another £2.55mln from the UK Space Agency.
Construction will be overseen by Jacobs Solutions Inc (NYSE:J), which manages NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral and was an investor in Orbex’s recent £40mln funding round.
As well as construction of the site, Jacobs has been contracted to provide spaceport operations support, operations consultancy and engineering services.
Boasting launch contracts signed with seven customers, Orbex said it is preparing for its first launch with a hiring spree of “dozens of new team members”, though last month co-founder Chris Larmour stepped down as chief executive to “let others lead the company to the next level.”
It said it is also implementing a variety of integration tests of its 19-metre Prime rocket, as well as testing launch procedures including rollout, deployment of a launch strongback and fuelling procedures.
“Sutherland represents a new breed of spaceport, for a new breed of rocket,” said the company’s interim chief executive, Kristian von Bengtson.
“With the construction of Sutherland Spaceport underway, this is an important piece of the puzzle that will make the UK a modern space nation. Just as importantly, we’re hopefully also setting the tone for how business can be a force for good, creating jobs and opportunities while minimising the impact upon the environment.”
Representing the Scottish government, innovation and trade minister Richard Lochhead said with the first orbital launch from UK soil expected to take place in Scotland later this year, Scotland is "well placed to become Europe’s leading space nation by 2030".