Rocket Factory Ltd, the UK-based subsidiary of the German launch startup Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), has received £3.5 million in funding from the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency to support its plans to launch from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland.
The funding was awarded as part of the ESA Boost! programme, which aims to foster new European commercial space transportation services.
According to a UK Space Agency press release, Rocket Factory Ltd “will use the funding to develop and operate the infrastructure and test equipment needed to enable them to launch from SaxaVord Spaceport and are planning to launch in Q2 2024.”
The company is expected to create 90 skilled jobs locally. However, this number will only be achieved “when the spaceport reaches full operational capability.” Right now, Rocket Factory Ltd appears to exist primarily on paper.
According to Companies House, Rocket Factory Ltd was incorporated in November 2022. Two months later, in January 2023, RFA announced that it had signed a multi-year partnership with SaxaVord to secure exclusive access to Launch Pad Fredo. The partnership came with a “double-digit million-pound investment.”
In June 2023, the company changed its address to a business park in Inverness, Scotland, with the address beginning with C/O or in Care Of. This designation is used to identify that a company is using the services of a registered office provider or accountant to handle their official mail and documents. In this case, it’s an accountant, A9 Accountancy, to be specific. Additionally, both of the registered officers associated with the company are not based in the UK.
Progress on the grounds of the future SaxaVord Spaceport is currently at a standstill. In August, the Shetland Times reported that construction workers at the site had been given time off because the project was so far ahead of schedule. It does not appear that work has resumed at the site since that announcement.
