Orbex has announced that construction has begun on the Sutherland Spaceport (formerly Space Hub Sutherland) in Scotland, making this the first vertical spaceport to be built on the UK mainland.
Located on the northern coast of Scotland, the spaceport will be the “home” spaceport for Forres-based rocket and launch services company, Orbex, which will use the site to launch up to 12 orbital rockets a year to deploy satellites to Earth. orbit.
The groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction was attended by a number of officials and stakeholders including Richard Lockheed, Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade to the Scottish Government, Ian Annette, Executive Vice President at the British Space Agency, David Oxley, Director. of strategic projects with the Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Dorothy Pritchard, Chairman of the Melness Crofters Estate as well as the many local representatives who have supported the development of the spaceport over the years. Sutherland Spaceport aims to become the world’s first carbon-neutral spaceport, both in its construction and operation. One example is how peat lifted during construction can be reused to restore large tracts of peatlands that have deteriorated over centuries.
The construction of a commercial spaceport in Sutherland is expected to support around 250 new jobs in the Highlands and Islands over the coming years, including 40 in Sutherland and Caithness. Economic impact assessments conducted by the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) concluded that the existence of the spaceport has the potential to generate approximately £1 billion in gross value added (GVA) for the Highlands and Islands economy over the next 30 years.
It was also confirmed today that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will contribute £3m to support the development of the Sutherland spaceport, completing a public investment package that also includes just over £9m from HIE and the Scottish Government and £2.55m announced by the Space Agency. British. In 2018. The NDA chose to support Sutherland Spaceport following the decommissioning of the nearby Dounreay Nuclear Power Station, as part of its mandate to retire one of the UK’s oldest nuclear sites while supporting affected communities and the environment.
Orbex recently signed a 50-year sub-lease with HIE, enabling Orbex to direct construction and assume full operational management of the new facility on the community-owned Melness Crofters estate. Orbex’s role in the spaceport is expected to stimulate significant private investment that will benefit the local community through job creation, supply chain opportunities and other associated economic benefits.
Jacobs, an international professional and technical services firm, has been contracted to build the site as well as support spaceport operations, operational consulting and engineering services, drawing on its expertise in complex management and operation, highly regulated nuclear sites and space-related sites. . Jacobs has supported NASA across several high-profile space centers and spaceflight programs, including managing operations at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Closer to home, Jacobs also managed important aspects of the Dunnery nuclear site on the north coast of Scotland.
In addition to the short-term contracts for local companies and contractors that will result from construction, Orbex will hire skilled local jobs to support the operation of the spaceport. The types of roles will span several areas including facilities, operational management, security, general management, finance, stakeholder engagement and campaign related roles. Job openings will be announced locally upon commencement of recruitment.
In May 2022, Orbex revealed its innovative Prime rocket in its final form, the first time a full orbital small launcher has been unveiled in Europe. Prime is a 19-meter, two-stage rocket designed to carry small satellites weighing up to 180 kg into low Earth orbit. The six rocket engines in the first stage of the rocket will propel the vehicle through the atmosphere to an altitude of about 80 kilometers. The single engine in the rocket’s second stage will complete the flight into low Earth orbit, allowing its payload to be launched from small commercial satellites into Earth orbit.
Orbex has received widespread interest from commercial satellite manufacturers and has already signed launch contracts with seven customers. The company also recently closed a Series C funding round, bringing the company an additional £40.4m. Despite the challenging capital raising landscape, Orbex has attracted new investors and brought many of its existing investors into a new round of financing. The additional financing allows the company to maintain its long-term focus beyond the initial launch.
Uniquely, Orbex Prime is powered by a renewable biofuel, Futuria Liquid Gas, provided by Calor UK. This fuel allows the rocket to significantly reduce carbon emissions compared to other similarly sized rockets being developed elsewhere around the world. A study by the University of Exeter shows that a single launch of an Orbex Prime rocket will result in 96 percent less carbon emissions than similar space launch systems that use fossil fuels. Prime is also a reusable rocket that is designed to leave no debris on the ground and in orbit.
In preparation for the first launch, Orbex conducts a variety of integration tests, as well as testing launch procedures including roll-out procedures, strong deployment, and fueling procedures. To support the integration testing phase, over the past few months, Orbex has ramped up recruitment efforts for its headquarters in Forres, adding dozens of new team members.
Christian von Bengtsson, Chief Development Officer and Interim CEO of Orbex: “Sutherland represents a new breed of spaceport, for a new series of rockets. This is 21st century, agile spaceflight with sustainability at its core. With the construction of the Sutherland spaceport in progress, this is an important piece of the puzzle that will make the UK a modern space nation. Just as importantly, we also hope to set a tone for how business can be a force for good, creating jobs and opportunity while minimizing impact on the environment.”