German military could launch intelligence satellites from Scotland
Intelligence-gathering satellites could be launched into space from Scotland under an initiative involving the German military.
In a bid to strengthen Europe's defence links, the German air force's space command wants to use SaxaVord Spaceport for 'sovereign launch' capabilities.
It will mean the spaceport on Unst in the Shetland Islands will carry out launches of military as well as commercial satellites.
'Sovereign launch' refers to the ability to reach space quickly and independently in the event of a conflict or disruption to vital satellites.
Some in the space industry have pointed out that the US holds the vast majority of the world's sovereign launch capability, while Europe currently has almost no equivalent.
The approach of the Trump administration to transatlantic security has led to European countries reconsidering their defence priorities.
A German company, Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), hopes to carry out the first satellite launch from UK soil and is planning to blast off from the privately-owned SaxaVord later this year.
RFA and SaxaVord made the announcement at the SpaceComm expo in London's Docklands on Tuesday.
SaxaVord chief executive Frank Strang said: 'We have all our licences for orbital vertical launch already in place, and we are putting the finishing touches to infrastructure on site to support our partners – in particular Rocket Factory Augsburg, which has made a significant financial investment in our spaceport.
'We live in an unpredictable and ever more dangerous world and space as a domain has an ever increasing role to play in keeping us secure and protecting our economies.
'The UK and Europe have an asset in SaxaVord that can play a huge role in maintaining the status quo and, combined with RFA, a capability that can help defend our combined interests.'
Major General Michael Traut, commander of the German air force's space command, said: 'For me, it has even become more important to strengthen links between our traditional European partners, especially in regard to space.
'What we are seeing today between German and UK companies is very encouraging. Having access to sovereign launch will be very important for our security.'
RFA co-founder Jorn Spurmann said: 'By combining cutting-edge launch technology with SaxaVord's strategic location, we are reinforcing the backbone of a resilient, agile European defence network in space.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Senators go to Canada to meet PM Carney, smooth Trump tariff, 51st-state tensions
A bipartisan group of senators, led by North Dakota Republican Kevin Cramer and New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, recently traveled to Ottawa, Ontario, to help ease rising tensions between the U.S. and Canada. The quintet, which also included Sens. Peter Welch, D-Vt., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., was photographed glad-handing Prime Minister Mark Carney, a liberal who had been aided in his election over conservative favorite Pierre Poilievre in part due to American right-wing overtures. As the lone Republican, Cramer was in the difficult spot of balancing representing the president's party and engendering goodwill with Carney, whose government has been targeted by U.S. tariffs and pledges by President Donald Trump to be made the "51st state." He did not respond to a Fox News request for comment in that regard, but Kaine told Punchbowl News that Trump respects Cramer and his "insight and loyalty." Canada's Pm Carney Vows To 'Fight' Trump's Tariffs; Other World Leaders Weigh Impact "That means the president can probably hear some things from him that, if I said it, I wouldn't get paid attention to," Kaine said. Read On The Fox News App In a statement, Cramer said the two nations share "more than a border" and that working through challenges requires "frank dialogue." "I was encouraged by the meetings, and the Prime Minister's transparent and thoughtful words were smart and instructive. I look forward to working with our friends, business partners, and neighbors in Canada to strengthen our relationship and address mutual issues facing our great countries," he added. The delegation, joined by Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, a former border-state congressman from Michigan, was geared toward joint defense and economic priorities, according to Cramer. The White House directed Fox News Digital to the State Department when asked about its response to the diplomatic overture from Cramer and the four Democrats. But Foggy Bottom did not provide comment for the record. But Cramer told Punchbowl he didn't want to get in Trump's way and that no trade deal could happen without the White House but that Canada needs to know they have a partner in the U.S. "Hopefully I navigated it OK, but I'll find out on Truth Social," he said. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Says 'Old Relationship' With Us 'Is Over' Amid Tension Over Trump Tariffs Kaine plans to force a Senate vote on a resolution to block Trump's China tariffs if détente isn't reached between Ottawa and Washington. His office directed Fox News Digital to a Punchbowl story on the matter, where the Virginian was quoted saying that there will be negative effects on the U.S. economy if "this doesn't get sorted out." "I hope I don't need to," Kaine said. The U.S. imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian steel, automobiles and other goods not currently covered under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, according to the Wall Street Journal. Canada retaliated by imposing $43 billion worth of its own tariffs against the U.S. "We've got more that we need to do before we're satisfied that we have a partnership that is in Canada's interest. We've made a lot of progress," Carney said Tuesday after the visit concluded. Every congressional participant except Kaine hails from a state that borders Canada. One report said that annual Canadian visitation to Cramer's North Dakota outnumbers its own population, while Welch has been vocal about Vermont's symbiotic reliance on Canadian residents' dollars, especially in its recreation sector. "The U.S.-Canada relationship has made us all safer and more prosperous, protecting our continent from foreign threats and transforming North America into a hub of global trade, innovation and investment," Welch said in a statement co-signed by the other lawmakers. "The trip has reaffirmed our joint desire to move past current tensions in the bilateral relationship and lay the groundwork for a stronger partnership moving forward."Original article source: Senators go to Canada to meet PM Carney, smooth Trump tariff, 51st-state tensions
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A Federal Court Just Blocked Trump's Tariffs
The U.S. Court of International Trade on Wednesday evening struck down President Donald Trump's use of emergency executive powers to impose tariffs on nearly all imports. The ruling includes an injunction that immediately blocks the collection of tariffs Trump imposed under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977. The Trump administration had used that law as the legal basis for tariffs imposed in February on imports from Canada, China, and Mexico, then used it again as the basis for the so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs announced on April 2 and applying to nearly all American imports. The court ruled that Trump had overstepped the authority granted by IEEPA, which had never previously been invoked to impose tariffs. "The court holds…that IEEPA does not authorize any of the Worldwide, Retaliatory, or Trafficking Tariff Orders," a three-judge panel on the court wrote. Those orders, the judges wrote, "exceed any authority granted to the President by IEEPA to regulate importation by means of tariffs." "The challenged Tariff Orders will be vacated and their operation permanently enjoined," they concluded. The ruling combines two cases that challenged the legal authority of Trump's tariffs. One of those cases was brought by the Liberty Justice Center on behalf of several American businesses that depend on imported goods. (Reason interviewed one of the plaintiffs in the case shortly after it was filed in April.) The other was filed by several state attorneys general. The court's ruling is a sweeping one that covers all imports. "There is no question here of narrowly tailored relief," the three judges wrote in their ruling. "If the challenged Tariff Orders are unlawful as to Plaintiffs they are unlawful as to all." The ruling is a welcome blow to the Trump administration's freewheeling use of IEEPA in ways that seemingly ignored the plain text of the law—which authorizes executive action only in response to "unusual and extraordinary" threats to the United States. Ordinary imports to the country do not meet that standard, the plaintiffs argued in the case. Additionally, the plaintiffs argued that Congress could not constitutionally delegate such sweeping tariff powers to the executive branch. In its ruling on Wednesday, the Court of International Trade seemed to agree on both points. "We do not read IEEPA to delegate an unbounded tariff authority to the President," the judges wrote. "We instead read IEEPA's provisions to impose meaningful limits on any such authority it confers." The Trump administration will almost certainly appeal the ruling and request a stay of the injunction on the tariffs. It's impossible to say how those things will turn out. For now, however, this is a huge win for free trade—and, perhaps more importantly, Wednesday's ruling is a win for the rule of law and the separation of powers. The post A Federal Court Just Blocked Trump's Tariffs appeared first on
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's ‘liberation day' tariffs blocked by US trade court
President Donald Trump's proposed reciprocal trade tariffs on major U.S. trading partners were blocked by a federal court on Wednesday, on the grounds that the president overstepped his authority. The Court of International Trade ruled on Wednesday that Congress held exclusive authority to regulate commerce with other countries, and that Trump's emergency powers did not supersede this authority. Wednesday's ruling was on a lawsuit filed by the Liberty Justice Center on the behalf of five small U.S. businesses that import goods from the countries targeted by Trump's tariffs. The trade court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which was invoked by Trump to carry out his tariff agenda, did not grant the president sufficient authority to impose 'unlimited tariffs on goods from nearly every country in the world.' 'The court does not read IEEPA to confer such unbounded authority and sets aside the challenged tariffs imposed thereunder,' the court said in its ruling. Wednesday's ruling poses a fresh challenge for Trump's agenda to impose steep trade tariffs on countries with large trade surpluses with the United States. But the White House can appeal against the ruling. Trump had initially unveiled his planned tariffs in early April– what the president dubbed as 'liberation day.' Trump announced double-digit levies on several major U.S. trading partners, and also targeted countries he alleged were trade proxies for China. But he had shortly after announced a 90-day extension in the planned tariffs, except for China. Trump's tariffs on China rose as high as 245% in April, before Washington and Beijing agreed to deescalate earlier in May. Related articles Trump's 'liberation day' tariffs blocked by US trade court Tesla stock rises on robotaxi service launch plans Musk opposed Abu Dhabi AI data center deal that he thought favors Altman, says WSJ
