A ROCKET manufacturer has said it will “pause” construction of a spaceport in Sutherland to focus its launch efforts in Shetland.
Orbex has announced it would aim to launch its first rockets from SaxaVord Spaceport.
However, the company, based in Forres in Moray, said it would retain the lease on the Sutherland site and has not ruled out developing it in the future.
Chief executive Phil Chambers said: “While we appreciate this news means pausing the construction plans at Sutherland, we are still committed to the north of Scotland at our facilities in Forres and we look forward to building our presence at SaxaVord in Shetland as well.”
Highlands and Islands Enterprise, which has provided millions for the project, has said it was left deeply disappointed by the decision.
Chambers continued: “This decision will help us to reach first launch in 2025 and provides SaxaVord with another customer to further strengthen its commercial position.
“It’s a win-win for UK and Scottish space.”
SaxaVord Spaceport chief executive Frank Strang likewise welcomed the news.
He said: “Given the scale of their ambition, it makes sense for Orbex to start operations from SaxaVord Spaceport, which is already licenced and in a position to support their upcoming launches.”
In a statement, Highlands and Islands Enterprise said it wanted to send a “clear message” to locals that it was “deeply disappointed at this turn of events”.
“This announcement marks an unexpected change of direction from Orbex,” the statement said.
“It’s important to stress that the company is a very significant player in the UK space sector and a key employer in Moray where it has over 150 skilled jobs at Enterprise Park Forres with plans to expand further.
“It also speaks to the strength of the regional space sector that innovative rockets will be both manufactured and launched into orbit from locations in the Highlands and Islands, and this move will strengthen SaxaVord Spaceport’s commercial proposition.
“What is less clear is the impact that Orbex’s decision will have on Sutherland.”
The plans for the spaceport have previously been opposed by Scotland’s richest man, Anders Holch Povlsen and his wife Anne.
The billionaire couple own land nearby and had raised concerns about the impact it may have on protected areas.
In 2021, their company Wildland Ltd raised legal action against Highland Council for giving planning approval to the project although a judge was not persuaded that the authority had done anything wrong.
The Shetland development has also suffered setbacks with a rocket engine exploding during a test firing at SaxaVord.
German rocket manufacturer RFA, which carried out the test, later said the blast had caused some damage to the launch site structure.
It then confirmed this would mean delaying plans to carry out the UK’s first vertical rocket launch into space.
