SaxaVord Spaceport confident it is ready for first launch this summer
SAXAVORD Spaceport has said it is more confident than ever before that the first orbital rocket launch from UK soil will take place this year.
Speaking to Shetland News on Thursday, managing director Scott Hammond said the Unst spaceport and its client Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) were fully prepared for a launch in August or early September.
It has taken almost 10 years of planning and preparation to reach this point. The space port is licenced to operate as many as 30 launches a year.
Hammond said: “We never got to this stage before because we never had the confidence.
“Both ourselves and Rocket Factory Augsburg have learned from the anomaly two years ago [when the RFA One rocket caught fire during a hot fire test], both of us have done a lot of work in the background to improve on our operations.
“We have got to the point now where the next thing has to be launch.
“Is it going to happen on 10 August? I would love it, but realistically it is probably going to happen a few days or weeks after that.
“I am confident though that we are going to see a launch this year because we also have another launch provider, HyImpulse, who also want to launch from us this year.”
For this to happen, SaxaVord is planning to put a number of restrictions in place which have drawn criticism from some.
Hammond insisted that everything the spaceport is doing in preparation of a first launch is “completely legal” and fully licenced by the appropriate authorities.
The spaceport has been granted a five week launch window, starting on 10 August, in which one test flight can take place.
Hammond said if everything goes to plan then the launch will be over in 15 minutes.
However, it is not possible to say at this time when RFA will be ready within this time window to go ahead with the launch.
The company is also planning another hot fire test over the coming weeks.
In any case, a launch attempt can only take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 4pm and 8pm.
A decision on whether to proceed with a launch attempt will be made 24 hours in advance, allowing residents and visitors to plan accordingly.
If a launch attempt is confirmed, a launch exclusion zone (LEZ) will be put in place immediately around the spaceport and in a maritime area to the north of Unst for the four-hour period.
Vessels will be asked to leave the area to the north of Unst, while air traffic will be re-routed.
Hammond was at pains to explain that the spaceport wanted to work with the local community, and that any access restriction for residents near to the spaceport would be kept to a minimum.
There are facilities put in place for visitors to witness the launch attempt, but the event will also be livestreamed.
Hammond said: “We will see the launch windows reducing in breadth. If you look at the launch window for the Space X launch to the International Space Station, it is about one second.
“It has to launch in that second or doesn’t launch at all. We have gone for four hours because it is a test launch to give flexibility to the provider to be ready.
“We do fully expect for those launch windows to come down in time as we learn.”
The chief executive also responded to recent criticism by the Shetland Tourist Association, which had said it said it was not consulted during the licensing process.
The association also expressed concern that rocket launch caused a “serious risk to tourism” and could potentially cause fatalities.
“Our duty is to make sure that there is no danger to life for third parties and that includes tourists. That is why we have a launch exclusion zone,” Hammond said.
“I absolutely refute that there is a risk to life to tourists. I would also suggest that we would see more tourism to Shetland. We already see people coming up just to look at the spaceport.
“The ferry from Denmark to the Faroe Islands is getting closer and closer as she is coming past Unst and almost slowing down to have a look at the spaceport. I think we can be of net benefit to tourism.”
With regards to any potential damage to fishing gear due to rocket debris on the seabed, Hammond said that according to the UN Outer Space Treaty 1967 the launching state – the UK in this instance – has liability for any damage that is caused by launch.
“There is no defence against that. If fishermen experience some damage they will be covered under the insurance of the launch operator,” he said.
He added: “We want to get to the point where we can get up to 30 launches per year because there is the market throughout Europe for satellites to be launched.
“We want SaxaVord to become the place for Europe to launch its satellites because if you want to be a first world country these days you need access to space.
“If you don’t have access, you are on the backfoot. The UK is really lucky to have SaxaVord, and we want to become a leading European spaceport.”
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