Latest news with #RocketFactoryAugsburg
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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.'
The Independent
11-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
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.'
The Independent
05-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Spaceport on Shetland Islands will be ready for launch by July, MPs told
The spaceport at the northernmost tip of the UK will be ready for satellite launches by July, MPs have been told. A number of companies plan to use SaxaVord Spaceport, on Unst in the Shetland Islands, as a launch site for commercial rockets. Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), from Germany, is thought to have the most advanced plans and it was officially licensed for spaceflight by the regulator last month. Orbex, based in Forres in north-east Scotland, recently announced it will switch its first launch from Sutherland Spaceport to SaxaVord. It hopes to blast off its 'Prime' rocket for the first time towards the end of this year. On Wednesday, Westminster's Scottish Affairs Committee heard from a number of figures in the space industry who hope to tap into a lucrative global market for small satellite launches. Scott Hammond, deputy chief executive of SaxaVord, said work is ongoing on the integration hangar where rocket stages will be joined together and satellites mated to the vehicles. He told the MPs they are 'absolutely' planning on a launch this year, adding staff are now going through a detailed training process. Mr Hammond said: 'Our aim is to have all of that done by July 1. After which, the second part of the year, we are now ready for launch.' He compared SaxaVord to the UK's Cape Canaveral, stressing there is competition from Norway's Andoya Spaceport. Quizzed on whether SaxaVord needs more Government financial support, he said: 'Yes and no, we would quite happily take it, if we don't get it we will have to go out and get extra money and work very hard.' He urged the MoD not to rely on Elon Musk's SpaceX for launches, saying the US Space Force has 'effectively booked all of the launches from the States until 2030 – so if we want to get UK satellites up there, we're going to have to find another way of doing it'. Phil Chambers, chief executive of Orbex, was asked about his company's decision to pause work at the Sutherland Spaceport site. Politicians representing the Highlands have been disappointed at the decision, noting Sutherland Spaceport has received support from the regional development agency. Mr Chambers said it was a purely commercial decision, as completing work at the site near Tongue would have cost £15 million and the company had not raised as much money as hoped. However he suggested Orbex could restart work at Sutherland if it needs more launch capacity by 2028, adding: 'It's not a decision we took lightly and not one that is easy to chop and change. 'We have a new plan now, which is to do the first 10 launches a year from SaxaVord and then look for the additional capacity in Sutherland.' He added that objections from Anders Holch Povlsen, Scotland's richest man and an investor in SaxaVord Spaceport, had not prevented Sutherland from receiving planning permission. Alan Thompson, head of government affairs at Skyrora, said his company aims to carry out a suborbital rocket launch from SaxaVord later this year. He said Skyrora has experienced delays from the regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and had carried out its first test launch from Iceland as 'we got tired of waiting'. Jorn Spurmann, chief commercial officer of RFA, spoke about the tests his company is carrying out to prepare for the first flight. An engine test at SaxaVord in August last year resulted in the first stage of its rocket exploding, which Mr Spurmann described as a 'big and wonderful image' which had resulted in 'a lot of learning'.
Reuters
28-01-2025
- Business
- Reuters
UK invests $25 million in orbital rocket, seeking to unlock satellite launch capability
LONDON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Britain on Wednesday announced a 20 million pound ($24.84 million) investment in space company Orbex to help build an orbital rocket, used to put satellites into orbit, and launch it later this year from a site in northern Scotland. The rocket, Prime, is set to take off from SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands in late 2025. That would make it the first ever British-built and British-launched orbital rocket, the government said. Britain has long sought to establish launch capabilities for its space sector, which employs about 52,000 people and manufactures more satellites than any location outside the United States. Technology secretary Peter Kyle said the Orbex launch would "turbocharge" Britain's position in the industry, making it a leading destination for small satellite launches in Europe. Orbex has previously raised funding from private investors. The government said that capturing just 2% of the European demand for satellites, which it said was forecast to be worth $50 billion up to 2033, could bring around $1 billion in revenues for the British economy. Earlier this month, the government gave German firm Rocket Factory Augsburg the go-ahead to launch satellites into orbit from the same site in Scotland. Britain's space industry ambitions faced a major setback in January 2023 when a horizontal rocket launch from Newquay, located in south-west England, failed. ($1 = 0.8052 pounds)
