Britain’s SaxaVord Spaceport is now closer to initiating satellite launches after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) granted it a range control licence. This development, announced on Thursday, places the Shetland Islands-based facility on the brink of its inaugural launch, expected later this year.
This licence marks the second of three regulatory steps necessary before the spaceport can conduct its first rocket launch. The final requirement is a launch licence. In December, SaxaVord became the UK’s first fully licenced vertical launch spaceport, positioning it as a pivotal player in Western Europe’s aerospace sector.
SaxaVord Spaceport, in collaboration with Germany’s Rocket Factory Augsburg, is gearing up for what could be a historic mission. “As Western Europe’s only fully licenced vertical launch spaceport, we are now preparing to make more space history with the beginning of orbital launch operations well underway and first launch expected to be in Q3 of this year,” said CEO Frank Strang.
The global space market, anticipated to surpass one trillion dollars by 2030, is expanding rapidly as companies aim to deploy thousands of satellites to provide internet coverage worldwide. This burgeoning sector presents significant economic opportunities for the UK, which seeks to establish a strong presence in the satellite launch industry.
However, the UK’s satellite launch ambitions faced setbacks, notably with Virgin Orbit’s failed mission in January of the previous year. The mission, which involved a rocket launched from a modified Boeing 747, did not achieve orbit, leading to financial difficulties for the company, culminating in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing months later.
