Tiny UK island’s residents offered chance to watch spaceport’s rocket launches
Residents of Unst, the UK’s northernmost settlement, will have priority access to witness historic space rocket launches, with the first test flight planned for this summer.
The SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst is preparing for its inaugural test launch in the coming months, featuring a rocket developed by German company RFA.
The Shetland Islands resort has previously approved a limited number of viewing passes for a designated remote area, which will be offered to around 600 residents of Unst.
A livestream will also be available for wider public viewing of these test flights and subsequent commercial launches.
Many companies are planned to use SaxaVord as a launch pad for their commercial rockets, and regulatory requirements state that launches must occur within specific, several-week windows.
Launch trials will take place at certain times on specified days and an exclusion zone will be created.
The spaceport says those who cannot obtain a viewing pass should avoid traveling to Unst and watch online instead.
Chief Executive Scott Hammond said: “We expect to see a test flight of our customer RFA this summer, although final timings are still being discussed with all relevant authorities.
“Obviously this is hugely exciting and a testament to all the hard work being done by RFA and our team at SaxaVord.
“It is important to us that Unst residents have first refusal on the limited number of viewing areas available, given that they are most affected by the construction of the spaceport and will be most affected on launch days.
“As this will be a test flight and due to the length of the launch window, if you live outside of Shetland I would recommend watching it live rather than be disappointed by the cost and time involved in traveling here.”
Last month Scottish company Orbex, which had hoped to use the spaceport for satellite launches, went into administration.
However, this will not affect the plans of Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA).
A large “umbilical tower” was recently built on the company’s launch pad at SaxaVord and will supply the rocket once it reaches the site.
