UK-based launch facility SaxaVord Spaceport has confirmed that it abandoned plans to develop a shared suborbital launch rail, with German rocket builder HyImpulse now preparing to bring its own system to the Scottish launch site for the second flight of its SR75 rocket.
The UK Space Agency awarded SaxaVord £378,000 in December 2022 for Project SkyReach, which aimed to fund the development of a launch rail capable of supporting suborbital rockets weighing up to three tonnes. The project was, however, subsequently “paused,” with the UK Space Agency’s 2023/24 annual report listing it as one of its undelivered launch programme milestones.
A SaxaVord spokesperson has now confirmed to European Spaceflight that the project will not be restarted.
“The project was abandoned. A minimal amount of funding, < £10,000, was drawn down for design work but that was it,” the spokesperson said. To date, the launch facility has not hosted either an orbital or suborbital launch. However, German launch provider HyImpulse is preparing to conduct the second flight of its suborbital SR75 rocket from the facility as early as 5 October.
According to the SaxaVord spokesperson, the company will bring its own launch infrastructure for the flight, which will use the facility’s Launch Pad 3 (LP3).
“HyImpulse [is] providing the rail this time,” said the spokesperson, adding that SaxaVord had already completed preparatory work at the launch pad. “Concrete and fittings have been laid at LP3 ready for the arrival of the rail.”
A HyImpulse spokesperson confirmed to European Spaceflight that the company developed the new launch rail itself and that the work was supported through a separate UK Space Agency-backed project called the Sustainable Hybrid: Accelerated Rocket Programme (SHARP). In addition to funding the launch rail’s development, the project was also intended to support a flight of the SR75 rocket from SaxaVord.
“The launch rail intended for use by HyImpulse was developed by HyImpulse and funded through the SHARP programme,” the company’s spokesperson confirmed.
HyImpulse received just shy of £5 million from the UK Space Agency for the project in July 2024 as part of a broader £33 million funding package awarded through its National Space Innovation Programme.
The UK Space Agency was also contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.
In its new Space Strategy, which was published on 8 September, the UK government identified assured access to space as one of four priority areas for the country’s space sector. The strategy explained that the government would focus on developing robust domestic launch infrastructure, centred on SaxaVord as the UK’s primary site for polar and sun-synchronous missions. This focus came with a commitment to invest £30 million in the spaceport to accelerate its preparations to support regular orbital launches.
HyImpulse SR75 Flight 2
The 11-metre suborbital SR75 rocket is powered by the HyImpulse’s paraffin and liquid oxygen hybrid propulsion system. The rocket is designed to carry payloads of up to 250 kilograms to an altitude of approximately 200 kilometres. Its inaugural flight was conducted from the Koonibba Test Range in Australia in May 2024.
The second SR75 flight is currently expected to take place from SaxaVord in October. Maritime and aviation notices published earlier this month outline a potential launch window between 5 and 18 October. While the filings do not provide an expected altitude, they do state that the rocket is expected to splash down approximately 135 kilometres north of the spaceport.
