The SaxaVord UK Space Port on the Shetland Islands may next year become the location for the first space rocket to blast off from British soil, as part of a deal with Scotland-based rocket developer Skyrora.
Skyrora, which designs, manufactures and deploys rockets for small satellite manufacturers looking to get their products into space, said it has signed a letter of intent to launch its three-stage orbital vehicle, SkyroraXL, from the SaxaVord facility at the end of 2022.
The Edinburgh-headquartered company aims to deliver up to 16 launches a year by 2030, it said in a statement.
SaxaVord, which earlier this year changed its name from the Shetland Space Centre, is on the isle of Unst, at the northerly tip of the Shetlands and has plans to create over 100 jobs on the island.
#Skyrora is delighted to announce we've officially signed an LOI to launch our orbital vehicle, #SkyroraXL, from @Saxavord_Space at the end of 2022!
We're excited to champion #EnvironmentalLaunch through this partnership and are optimistic for the future of the #UKSpace sector! pic.twitter.com/VBHZsecFYZ
— Skyrora (@Skyrora_Ltd) October 12, 2021
“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," said SaxaVord chief Frank Strang.
Skyrora chief executive Volodymyr Levykin 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.
"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."
In May last year Skyrora built a mobile launch complex and completed a full static fire test of its smaller Skylark L rocket at the Kildemorie Estate in North Scotland.
This was the first vertical static fire test of such a magnitude in the UK since the Black Arrow Programme, 50 years ago, the company said.
Last year, it also launched its Skylark Micro from Iceland as part of its gradual move towards ultimately launching the three-stage Skyrora XL rocket to orbit.
The Skyrora XL, which stands over 22 metres tall and is capable of carrying up to 315 kilograms to orbit, has undergone successful trials, 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 company said the OTV vehicle will be used to address the ever-increasing volume of space debris orbiting Earth.