A PORTUGEUSE space technology company has bought key assets belonging to collapsed Scottish rocket firm Orbex and plans to create a new base in Moray.
Omnidea has acquired Orbex's manufacturing assets and intellectual property, and will operate from the company's former facility in Forres. The move will see a number of former Orbex staff join the business, with more jobs expected to follow as the operation grows.
The deal comes after Orbex entered administration earlier this year, casting uncertainty over the future of one of Scotland's most high-profile space firms.
Omnidea, which has worked in the European space sector for more than 20 years, said the Forres site would become the centre of its work on spacecraft structures and electronics.
The company was already familiar with Orbex through a European Space Agency programme and has been developing its own launch vehicle technology with ESA over the past four years.
Sérgio da Cunha Oliveira, Omnidea's vice president, said the purchase would help the company expand its presence in the UK while preserving valuable skills and expertise in Scotland.
He said: "Omnidea has spent more than 20 years building advanced engineering and technology businesses. We see a strong fit between the capabilities we have acquired in Scotland and our existing operations.
“This acquisition means we can combine deep expertise in structures, electronics and advanced manufacturing with the propulsion and fluid-systems capability we have built up over more than two decades. Just as importantly, it gives us access to an established base of highly skilled talent and space expertise in the UK.
“Our priority now is to establish a strong and sustainable UK operation in Forres. As a Portuguese company, we're proud to be contributing to Europe's ambitions for independent access to space, and to be growing that capability across Europe – and now from a UK base. We intend to build progressively, bringing investment, expertise and international connections to the UK as opportunities develop.”
The acquisition does not include Orbex itself as a company. Assets at the Kinloss Test Facility and Sutherland Spaceport are being sold separately.
