The UK government has pledged £10 million in funding to SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland, which is expected to host a maiden orbital launch later this year.
Construction of the spaceport began on the small island of Unst off the coast of Scotland in March 2022. However, in mid-2023, construction was halted after the company ran into financial trouble. While some construction did continue through the second half of last year, it wasn’t until early 2024 that the company secured sufficient funding to begin paying outstanding invoices.
The UK government’s pledge to invest £10 million into the spaceport was made during Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt’s budget speech on 6 March. However, while the funding has been pledged, it hasn’t yet been paid. Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation Andrew Griffith confirmed on Twitter that the funding was “subject to due diligence.”
Once complete, SaxaVord will feature three launchpads, one of which has already been secured by German launch startup Rocket Factory Augsburg for its exclusive use. The spaceport officially received its license late last year, granting it permission to launch up to 30 launches per year.
The first launch from the spaceport had initially been expected to be a suborbital HyImpulse SR75 flight. However, the German launch startup was forced to go with a backup launch facility after it was confirmed that SaxaVord would not be ready in time. The first launch from the facility is now expected to be the maiden flight of the RFA ONE, which is expected to take place later this year.
