Scottish rocket company Orbex granted 50-year lease for Sutherland spaceport

A Scottish rocket manufacturer has granted a 50-year lease on the spaceport being built in Sutherland.

Orbex will aim to use the mainland vertical launch spaceport site on the A’Mhoine peninsula to launch satellites into low Earth orbit.

The company, which is overseeing the construction and management of the facility, has signed a deal with Highlands and Island Enterprise (HIE) that will see them lease the ten-acre site from the Melness Crofters’ Estate for at least 50 years. Orbex claim the site will be able to handle 12 space launches a year when completed.

Their 19m-long rocket, called Prime, is designed to be reusable and run on a type of bio-propane, carrying up to 180kg of cargo into space.

The Orbex Prime rocket. Aerospace firm Orbex has secured a 50 year lease for the spaceport being built in Sutherland

The work itself will be carried out by a company called Jacobs, one of Nasa’s suppliers.

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Chris Larmour, chief executive of Orbex, said: “We are very grateful for the work that HIE, and the Melness Crofters’ Estate have done, in getting us to the point where we can take the baton and start construction.

“We have collaborated closely with them over the past few years, and we are completely aligned in our vision of delivering a sustainable spaceport that will bring jobs and prosperity to the region.

“Orbex is the first European launcher company to also manage a dedicated spaceport. It is an important competitive advantage to the company, which will make it really easy for us to work with customers as we scale up our operations.”

David Oxley, director of strategic projects at HIE, said: “The space industry represents a huge economic opportunity for the Highlands and Islands and for Scotland. The steps we’ve taken to establish launch capability in Sutherland have already delivered a significant economic impact as a key factor in attracting Orbex to establish their manufacturing facility and test site in Moray, creating dozens of skilled jobs, with many more in the pipeline.

“We believe the spaceport has the capacity to generate around 250 jobs in our region, including 40 on site, plus opportunities in manufacturing, supply chain, research and service provision.

“We’ve reached a key stage in our partnership that will not only see launches happening from Sutherland, but a whole range of wider economic benefits delivered for the Highlands and Islands.”