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.
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."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Labubu: the 'creepy' dolls sparking brawls in the shops
In the Spotlight Craze for the pint-sized soft toys has reached fever pitch among devotees
-
The top period dramas to stream now
The Week Recommends Heaving bosoms and billowing shirts are standard fare in these historical TV classics
-
Women need more pain management during gynecological procedures
Under the radar Pain should no longer be ignored
-
Breakthrough gene-editing treatment saves baby
speed read KJ Muldoon was healed from a rare genetic condition
-
Full moon calendar: dates and times for every full moon this year
In depth When to see the lunar phenomenon every month
-
Sea lion proves animals can keep a beat
speed read A sea lion named Ronan beat a group of college students in a rhythmic dance-off, says new study
-
Humans heal much slower than other mammals
Speed Read Slower healing may have been an evolutionary trade-off when we shed fur for sweat glands
-
Novel 'bone collector' caterpillar wears its prey
Speed Read Hawaiian scientists discover a carnivorous caterpillar that decorates its shell with the body parts of dead insects
-
How to see the Lyrid meteor shower
The explainer A nice time to look to the skies
-
Scientists find hint of alien life on distant world
Speed Read NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected a possible signature of life on planet K2-18b
-
Katy Perry, Gayle King visit space on Bezos rocket
Speed Read Six well-known women went into lower orbit for 11 minutes