The UK Government has announced a £20 million (€23,8 million) investment in Orbex to support the construction and launch of its first Prime rocket from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland later this year.
Prime is a small two-stage rocket designed to be capable of delivering payloads of up to 180 kilograms into low Earth orbit. In December 2024, the company announced that, alongside Prime, it would begin developing a medium-classrocket called Proxima. Orbex has, however, not yet shared the target payload capacity of this larger rocket.
While the UK Government has supported Orbex through grants awarded via the European Space Agency’s Boost! programme, the £20 million investment appears to represent the state acquiring a stake in the company and its future. This signals a significant show of support from the government as the company gears up to compete in the European Launcher Challenge.
Channeling former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle declared that the government’s backing of Orbex would enable the launch of “British rockets carrying British satellites from British soil.”
Orbex CEO Phillip Chambers stated that the investment would lay the foundation for the company’s bid to compete in the European Launcher Challenge.
“This first-of-a-kind investment by the UK Government underscores its confidence in our space rocket manufacturing and launch capabilities,” said Chambers. “This investment paves the way for us to launch our first rocket this year and develop a larger rocket to compete in the European Launcher Challenge, driving our long-term growth.”
The European Launcher Challenge was created following the ESA Council meeting in November 2023. It aims to support the development of sovereign European launch capabilities through individual awards of €150 million.
UK Space Agency Director of Launch, Matthew Archer, has stated that the country’s participation in the initiative is “essential.” With its cooperation with Orbex, the UK aims to develop a medium-lift launch capability, with launches taking place from within its borders. This marks a significant departure in the country’s policy toward launch, with the UK having previously opted not to contribute to the development of Ariane 6 or Vega and their variants.
