January 2025 : UKSA investment of £20m in Orbex should accelerate development at SaxaVord. Matthew Archer, Director of Launch at the UK Space Agency said of Orbex’s move from Sutherland to SaxaVord “…we’re keen to see them be successful”
In December Orbex announced they were mothballing their site at Sutherland Spaceport, which they lease, so they could concentrate on launching from the Shetland spaceport.
SaxaVord is fast becoming the port of choice for UK launchers, with German company RFA and now Orbex planning launches this year, as well as Skyrora. who are hoping to launch Skylark following a maiden sub-orbital launch of XL in Iceland later in 2025. Last year the UKSA invested £10m in SaxaVord itself.
Asked about whether more money may be allocated to SaxaVord in the coming budget, Archer said “we’re prioritising launch with ministers, and [again] that’s part of the spending review process… …I’m positive, but we need to wait for that to come through.”