Orbex, Jacobs team for sustainable UK space launches from Scotland
While attention is focussed on Cornwall for Europe’s first native satellite launch in the coming weeks, work is progressing on a vertical spaceport in Scotland using a rocket powered by biofuel.
Orbex is working towards launching its Prime rocket from Sutherland Spaceport near Tongue in the northern Highlands of Scotland.
Orbex has just completed a £40.4m ($46.9m) funding round, led by the Scottish National Investment Bank. This will be used to scale up resources to develop the spaceport site, first agreed in 2018, for up to 12 launches per year.
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Space Hub Sutherland plans to launch the small satellites weighing up to a total of 200kg with the Prime rocket, the first full orbital micro-launcher to be unveiled in Europe.
This is a 19-metre long, two-stage rocket powered by seven engines and is designed and manufactured in Forres, near Inverness in Scotland and Copenhagen in Denmark. It is the only launcher to be powered by renewable bio-propane and has significantly lower carbon emissions compared with similarly-sized rockets being developed elsewhere.
A study by the University of Exeter showed that a single launch of the Orbex Prime rocket will produce 96% less emissions than comparable systems using fossil fuels. Prime is also a re-usable rocket which has been engineered to leave zero debris on Earth and in orbit.
“Orbex has a track record of working with industrial leaders, space agencies and sector specialists to ensure we are bringing the right expertise to bear on each aspect of our launch system. By partnering with Jacobs for the construction of the spaceport, we’re continuing that trend. We look forward to working closely with the team at Jacobs to deliver a unique, environmentally sustainable spaceport that we believe will set an example for the rest of the world,” says Orbex CEO Chris Larmour.
Jacobs, an investor in Orbex and the largest services provider to US space agency NASA, will lead the construction of the spaceport, including design, procurement and management of the local supply chain. The US company has also signed a long-term collaboration agreement with Orbex to provide spaceport operations support, operations consultancy, and engineering services.
“The Orbex Prime rocket promises to be a game changer for small satellite developers and operators, enabling them to launch small satellites much more efficiently and cost-effectively,” said Karen Wiemelt, Security and Technology Senior Vice President at Jacobs Energy.
It already manages complex, highly regulated nuclear and space-related sites, supporting the Mars Perseverance Rover and the Artemis deep space human exploration programme. Jacobs is also prime contractor for NASA’S Exploration Ground Systems Program at Kennedy Space Center, with responsibility for development and operations of flight vehicle components and upgrading of facilities and ground equipment.
“We are excited to be involved in this important development for the European space industry and we believe that Sutherland Spaceport will bring major economic and social benefits to the Highlands, where we are already well established, having supported key decommissioning and remediation projects at the Dounreay nuclear site in Caithness for decades,” she said.
www.orbex.space; www.jacobs.com
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