Space / Spaceport hopeful of two or three launch attempts this year
SAXAVORD Spaceport officials are hoping for two or three test launch attempts from Unst this year, a parliament committee has heard.
Deputy chief executive Scott Hammond told Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee on Wednesday morning that this then could build up to eight to 12 launches.
The committee also heard that:
- SaxaVord Spaceport has spent £8 million so far on road upgrades in Unst
- The company still has plans for a hotel
- It may take a couple of years before the business is profitable
- Rocket company RFA spent around £2 million in getting its required licence
The committee was taking evidence on the topic ‘Will a rocket be launched from Scotland this year?’
That is certainly the hope for the SaxaVord Spaceport, with launch companies RFA and Orbex both aiming to take to the sky from Unst this year.
The committee also heard that Edinburgh based Skyrora is keen to try to undertake a launch from Unst this summer to test a new system where satellites would be used for data transmission between the vehicle and the service provider, instead ground stations.
Hammond, however, told MPs that before any launches SaxaVord needs to ensure its staff are fully trained.
He said the aim is to have that piece of work completed by July.
The spaceport has a licence for up to 30 launches a year but MPs were told SaxaVord will need to build up to this over time.
Hammond said the company has spent £12 to £16 million on an integration hangar at the spaceport site, as well as £8 million road improvements in Unst.
The committee also heard that the spaceport hopes to complete a second launchpad at the site this summer – with hopes for a third one, and more hangars, in the future.
MPs were told that SaxaVord has spent around £7 million so far of a £10 million capital funding boost – in the form of a convertible loan – which the UK Government awarded last year.
Hammond also told MPs that he was “very chilled” when an “anomaly” occurred during RFA’s hot fire test at the spaceport’s first launchpad in August – because there was no danger to human life.
Launch plans delayed as rocket firm shares footage from test incident
He also gave a mention to the accommodation, which is currently available near the spaceport, and confirmed there are still plans for a hotel.
The team have been making use of the former RAF SaxaVord base, which includes accommodation of around 180 beds and dining facilities.
Hammond said the nearby location of the accommodation to the launch site is a bonus, but it “needs a lot of maintenance” – leading to the desire for a hotel.
MPs were told that when a rocket company comes to Unst there could be up to 60 staff needing to be accommodated.
When asked what more the UK Government could do to support SaxaVord, Hammond said he would like to see a senior politician “take control of space”.
He said at the moment there is instead a number of different government departments with fingers in the space pie – such as the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Transport.
Hammond also said SaxaVord was disappointed to see there was no mention of space in the new Labour government’s plans for growth.
He continued by speaking up for the idea of freeports – designated areas where there are economic incentives for development such as tax reliefs.
“Airports are quite often freeports – we see no reason why spaceports shouldn’t be that, so we’d really like the government to look into that,” Hammond said.
The space official was also asked if the company requires more government funding in the interim.
Hammond said the company would “always be delighted” to take government support, and when asked if SaxaVord needs it, he replied “yes and no”.
“If we don’t get it, we will have to go out and find the extra money,” he told MPs.
He also said launch contracts from government is “gold-dust” for providers.
Hammond added that while the spaceport is already bringing in revenue, it is not yet profitable – and this position could only be reached in a couple of years’ time.
He also spoke about the interaction needed with other countries given that rockets will fly through airspace administered by other governments, and parts will be dropped into other exclusive economic zones.
“There’s a huge amount that goes on in the background,” Hammond said.
The most advanced rocket company in terms of SaxaVord is German firm RFA, which is the first operator to receive a UK spaceflight licence from the Civil Aviation Authority.
Its chief commercial officer Jörn Spurmann told MPs that the company has spent around £2 million alone on the licensing process.
Orbex chief executive Phil Chambers also spoke at the committee, just a couple of months after it was announced that the company was shifting its focus from the proposed Sutherland spaceport in the Highlands to Unst.
Since then, the company has also landed a £20 million funding boost from the UK Government to support its plans to launch from SaxaVord.
Chambers said the decision to move from Sutherland – which Orbex itself was developing – to SaxaVord was undertaken on a commercial basis, although it was not taken lightly.
But he explained that the door is very much open for Orbex to restart development of Sutherland in the years ahead.
Chambers said there is “absolutely” a long-term plan for Sutherland, which had already attracted public funding, with Orbex likely to restart that project if it needs more capacity beyond what SaxaVord can offer.
Meanwhile Nik Smith from Lockheed Martin confirmed that his company is on the look-out for a new launch operator for the proposed Pathfinder launch from SaxaVord, which also has attracted government funding.
It comes after US-based rocket firm ABL pulled out of the project.
It was also confirmed that another rocket company, HyImpulse, still has plans to launch from SaxaVord.
However, business development manager Ruari Brooker told MPs that it may not be until 2027 that it undertakes any orbital launches from Unst.
Skyrora’s head of government affairs Alan Thompson did, however, voice a note of caution about the impact wind can have on launches.
But he still spoke up for SaxaVord likely being the best location in the UK for launches.
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