Lift-off in Shetland Islands for UK's first vertical spaceport
SaxaVord Spaceport aims to begin rocket launches next summer

A former RAF base on the remote Shetland island of Unst has become Western Europe's first licensed spaceport capable of launching rockets vertically.
The SaxaVord Spaceport, located on the northernmost island of the Shetland archipelago, has received a licence from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to begin launching rockets from next year.
The licence "will allow up to 30 satellites and other payloads" to be launched into "commercially valuable polar, sun-synchronous orbits", The Guardian said. Demand is high from satellite operators for such satellites, which can be used for communications purposes as well as for observation of the Earth.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
SaxaVord is one of three UK launch sites "vying to become Europe's leading spacehub", said Space.com.
Another contender, the Sutherland Spaceport, located on the A'Mhòine peninsula on the north coast of Scotland, is still awaiting a licence.
Britain has only one other licensed spaceport, in Newquay, Cornwall, but it can only support horizontal launches, meaning "rockets are launched from aircraft after being carried to high altitudes underwing", Space.com explained.
Scott Hammond, deputy chief executive of SaxaVord, told The National that while there are no current missions scheduled, next summer should be "achievable" to host the site's first launch. "I think we will be putting up satellites that will go up and grab old satellites and get them out of orbit so as to decrease space waste," Hammond said.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Two German companies, Rocket Factory Augsburg and HyImpulse, are currently hoping to carry out launches from SaxaVord next year.
According to Sky News, husband and wife Frank and Debbie Strang, who have owned the site since 2004, "also have plans for a hotel and visitor centre".
Frank Strang told the broadcaster the UK was "right at the head of the European Space Race".
"I see it as akin to the ascent of Everest by Hillary," he said. "It makes a statement, it creates a feelgood factor and it shows the world the UK is very serious about the space economy."
Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.
-
The female-led all-women tours in Afghanistan
Under The Radar Women are 'swapping cocktails in Ibiza' for visiting a 'terror hotspot'
-
An ancient Israeli cave teaches new archaeological lessons
The Explainer The cave is believed to be one of the world's oldest burial sites
-
Music reviews: Tyler Childers and Madonna
Feature "Snipe Hunter" and "Veronica Electronica"
-
Scientists discover cause of massive sea star die-off
Speed Read A bacteria related to cholera has been found responsible for the deaths of more than 5 billion sea stars
-
'Thriving' ecosystem found 30,000 feet undersea
Speed Read Researchers discovered communities of creatures living in frigid, pitch-black waters under high pressure
-
Answers to how life on Earth began could be stuck on Mars
Under the Radar Donald Trump plans to scrap Nasa's Mars Sample Return mission – stranding test tubes on the Red Planet and ceding potentially valuable information to China
-
New York plans first nuclear plant in 36 years
Speed Read The plant, to be constructed somewhere in upstate New York, will produce enough energy to power a million homes
-
The treasure trove of platinum on the moon
Under the radar This kind of bounty could lead to commercial exploitation
-
Possible dwarf planet found at edge of solar system
Under the radar The celestial body has an unusual orbit
-
Why Elon Musk's satellites are 'dropping like flies'
Under The Radar Fierce solar activity destroying Starlink satellites
-
Dehorning rhinos sharply cuts poaching, study finds
Speed Read The painless procedure may be an effective way to reduce the widespread poaching of rhinoceroses