Spaceport
Unst, Shetland Islands, Scotland – 60.83° N, 0.77° W
The UK's first licensed vertical launch spaceport, on the UK's northernmost inhabited island – its high latitude is ideal for polar and sun-synchronous orbits.
SaxaVord sits on the Lamba Ness peninsula at the north-east tip of Unst – the northernmost inhabited island in the British Isles. It was licensed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority as a vertical launch spaceport in 2023, becoming the first fully licensed site of its kind in Europe. Its high latitude gives it an unobstructed northern range, well suited to polar and sun-synchronous orbits used by Earth-observation constellations.
The spaceport was developed on the site of the former RAF Saxa Vord radar station, reusing existing infrastructure and skilled local labour. Formerly known as Shetland Space Centre, it rebranded as SaxaVord Spaceport in 2022 and is operated by SaxaVord Spaceport Ltd, based in Shetland.
Mission: Maiden Flight
First flight of the RFA One launch vehicle. Will carry 7 satellites for various companies and organizations coordinated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). * AllBertEinStein * ARTICA * Curium Two * ERMINAZ * PCIOD * Separation Ring Mission * SpaceDREAM
Mission: Maiden flight
First flight of the Skyrora XL launch vehicle
Mission: Demo Flight
First launch of HyImpulse's SL1 launch vehicle.
Map by Mapbox (opens in new tab) – map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab).
