EDINBURGH: Rocket launch deal signed for Unst space centre

EDINBURGH: A rocket company has signed a
deal with a space launch facility planned for a Shetland island.

SaxaVord
Spaceport is proposed for Unst, Scotland’s most northerly inhabited island.

It is
seen as a good location because of its clear airspace.

Skyrora,
headquartered in Edinburgh, has agreed a multi-launch deal over the next
decade. It hopes to send its 23-metre (75ft) rocket to deliver satellites into
orbit from 2022.

SaxaVord
Spaceport was originally called Shetland Space Centre but has been renamed.

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.”

Frank
Strang of Saxavord Spaceport described it as an “exciting
development”.

Plans for
the facility were officially submitted earlier this year.

It is
claimed it could support hundreds of jobs.