A Scottish rocket manufacturer and launch services provider is to build and operate the first vertical launch site for satellites on the UK mainland.
Orbex has signed a lease with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for the spaceport location on community-owned land on the A’ Mhoine peninsula in north west Sutherland.
HIE has been developing launch plans for several years and leases the site from Melness Crofters’ Estate. The sub-lease with Orbex will run for 50 years, with an option to extend for a further 25 years.
Orbex will oversee the construction and assume operational management of the new facility. The 10-acre launch site will become the long-term home spaceport of the Forres-based business and will see the launch of up to 12 orbital rockets per year, carrying satellites into low Earth orbit.
In addition to increased opportunities for local businesses and contractors as part of the spaceport’s construction, Orbex expects to create up to 40 technical and non-technical jobs to support the operation and maintenance of the site.
The roles will span a number of areas including facilities and operational management, security, general administration and finance, marketing, stakeholder engagement and launch campaign-related roles.
Total private investment over the initial three-year period is also expected to reach £20m.
With the backing of the UK Space Agency, HIE set to work developing plans for the Sutherland spaceport in 2018, with specialist input from architects NORR and construction consultants Gardiner and Theobald.
At the same time, HIE commissioned environmental studies to inform a broad range of protection measures around the site, including extensive peat restoration and a ban on launches during bird breeding seasons.
Planning permission was granted by the Highland Council in August 2020. A separate development application to the Scottish Land Court - which was required as the launch site is on crofting land - was also successful.
Following its recent participation in Orbex’s Series C funding round, it has been confirmed that global technology solutions company Jacobs will assume the role of prime construction contractor on behalf of Orbex.
Jacobs will collaborate with Orbex to provide spaceport operations support, operations consultancy and engineering services, drawing on its experience of managing and operating complex sites such as Cape Canaveral in the United States.
Sutherland Spaceport is intended to become the world’s greenest spaceport, both in terms of its construction and its operation. One illustration of this is how peat lifted during the construction will be re-used to repair large areas of peatland that have degraded over centuries.
Uniquely, the new Orbex Prime rocket is powered by a renewable biofuel, Futuria Liquid Gas, supplied by Calor. This allows the rocket to reduce carbon emissions significantly compared to other similarly sized rockets being developed elsewhere around the world. Prime is also a re-usable rocket, which has been engineered to leave zero debris on Earth and in orbit.
The spaceport is being constructed on land owned and managed by the Melness Crofters’ Estate, which has worked with HIE to bring the spaceport project to fruition.
Chris Larmour, chief executive of Orbex, commented: “We are very grateful for the work that HIE and the Melness Crofters Estate have done, in getting us to the point where we can take the baton and start construction.
”Orbex is the first European launcher company to also manage a dedicated spaceport - it is an important competitive advantage to the company, which will make it really easy for us to work with customers as we scale up our operations.”
David Oxley, director of strategic projects at HIE, said: “The space industry represents a huge economic opportunity for the Highlands and Islands and for Scotland.
“We believe the spaceport has the capacity to generate around 250 jobs in our region, including 40 on site, plus opportunities in manufacturing, supply chain, research and service provision.
“With Orbex now set to build and operate the spaceport, we’ve reached a key stage in our partnership that will not only see launches happening from Sutherland but a whole range of wider economic benefits delivered for the Highlands and Islands.”
Dorothy Pritchard, chair of the Melness Crofters’ Estate, said: “The Moine is a beautiful part of our estate that deserves to be respected, and we know it is in extremely good hands with Orbex managing the operation of the spaceport.
”Since the very beginning of our relationship with Orbex, our mutual focus has been very much on safety, the environment and the creation of job opportunities for the local community - as we have seen massive population decline in the area over the past few years and our community is being starved of its lifeblood, young people.
”This is our way - perhaps a less-than-obvious way - of bringing new life back to our area.”
Business Minister Ivan McKee stated: “This announcement brings us another step closer to becoming Europe’s leading space nation through the provision of sustainable launch.
“Innovative companies like Orbex are vital to achieving the aims of our National Strategy for Economic Transformation, that strives for Scotland to be a nation of entrepreneurs and innovators with resilient supply chains.”
Ian Annett, deputy chief executive of the UK Space Agency, added: “Construction of Sutherland Spaceport will mark a major step forward for Scotland’s vertical launch capability and lead to the creation of a range of new jobs in the local community and beyond.
“We’ve provided funding to support the development of Orbex’s Prime rocket and the spaceport, and I’m confident that this new agreement will allow Orbex to strengthen the UK’s position as the leading destination in Europe for commercial spaceflight services and international investment.”
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