Highlands and Islands Enterprise ‘deeply disappointed’ over Orbex move from Sutherland Spaceport to SaxaVord
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has said it is “deeply disappointed” by Orbex’s decision to mothball Sutherland Spaceport.
HIE was the instigator of the spaceport project and first began developing plans for the facility in 2018, with planning permission granted in 2020 for up to 12 launches per year.
The development company has invested a total of £9.08 million in the Sutherland Spaceport project, comprising £7.12 million direct spend by HIE plus a grant to Orbex of £1.96 million. The United Kingdom Space Agency provided £2.55 million of the £9.08 million and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority contributed £2.61million.
The Scottish Government also contributed funding, bringing the public investment package up to £14.6million.
It was agreed in 2022 that Forres-based rocket launch company Orbex would take forward plans to build and operate the spaceport.
A HIE spokesperson said today: “We understand Orbex has decided to pause construction of its spaceport in Sutherland and will instead launch its first rockets from SaxaVord.
“This announcement marks an unexpected change of direction from Orbex. While we are not yet clear on the impacts of this on Sutherland, the company has stated that today’s announcement represents a pause for the spaceport construction, which means the project remains live.
“We want to send a clear message to local people in north Sutherland that we are deeply disappointed at this turn of events and remain committed to working with them to develop a positive future for Melness and the surrounding area.”
