SaxaVord Spaceport earmarked by UK and German governments for European launches

THE UK and German governments have identified SaxaVord Spaceport as a potential hub for Europe’s access to space.

In a joint statement released following a meeting between prime minister Andy Burnham and German chancellor Friedrich Merz, the countries have agreed to deepen their strategic co-operation in space across their civil, commercial, security and defence interests.

A memorandum of understanding between the two countries is set to be signed in early 2027.

SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst has been selected to “support a more resilient and responsive European access to space” as a result.

The UK’s only licensed vertical launch spaceport, SaxaVord has regulatory approval for up to 30 launches a year and is being developed to accommodate multiple launch providers.

The UK and Germany are set to commit to closer cooperation on launch capabilities.

Two German-based space companies are vying to be the first to launch from SaxaVord, with one launch pushed back already this year.

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HyImpulse Technologies and Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) both hope to be the first company to carry out a vertical launch from the site.

HyImpulse said last week that it was planning a first European sub-orbital launch from SaxaVord in the spring of 2027.

Meanwhile RFA had planned a first launch in August, but this was cancelled when the company had to “de-stack” its flight vehicle to investigate an issue.

The UK Government committed £30 million in funding for the SaxaVord Spaceport last month as part of a wider £60 million public-private investment programme.

The spaceport said the funding would support completion of key infrastructure as it moves towards regular commercial launch operations.

It is targeted towards all three launchpads, mission management infrastructure and second integration hangar required by international launch companies keen to bring their business to the UK.

The UK and German space industries agreed in March 2025 to join forces to provide vertical launch capabilities from Unst.

SaxaVord Spaceport could be used to launch monitoring satellites as well as commercial satellites as a result of the deal.

It follows the Trinity House agreement announced by the two governments in October 2024, which was also designed to deepen UK-German defence co-operation.