Spaceflight company Orbex is to focus its operations exclusively on developing small and medium sized space rockets after switching its launch operations to SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland.
The company has decided to pause construction of its own spaceport in Sutherland and will instead launch its first rockets from SaxaVord. The decision enables the company to direct more funding to the development of a new, medium-sized launch vehicle called Proxima.
Orbex will retain its lease to build and operate its own spaceport at Sutherland in order to give it flexibility to increase launch capacity in the future. This will be kept under continuous review.
The UK’s space industry is developing very quickly and requires the associated economies of scale and synergies to maintain its competitiveness for launch services from Europe.
Orbex is planning to increase the size of its manufacturing capability in Forres to ensure it can meet demand for its smaller vehicle, known as Prime. It will now also use the site to develop a new medium launch vehicle, which will enable Orbex to send more and larger satellites into orbit. It also better positions the business to participate in the European Launcher Challenge, an ESA-run competition to assist with the development of European launch capabilities and to service institutional and commercial contracts.
About Orbex
Orbex is a UK-based spaceflight company with headquarters, production and testing facilities in Scotland, and design and testing facilities in Denmark. Orbex staff members have professional backgrounds with NASA, ESA and several commercial spaceflight organisations. The company is funded by the Scottish National Investment bank, two of the UK’s largest venture capital funds, BGF and Octopus Ventures, two of Europe’s largest venture capital funds, Heartcore Capital and the High-Tech Gründerfonds, as well as strategic investors Elecnor, parent company of Deimos Space, and Jacobs, the largest services supplier to NASA. The company has won more than a dozen R&D contracts from a wide variety of bodies, including the UK Space Agency (UKSA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission Horizon 2020 program.
Phil Chambers, CEO of Orbex, said, “Orbex is first and foremost a launch services specialist. Our primary goal is to support the European space industry by achieving a sustainable series of satellite launches into low Earth orbit. This is best achieved by focusing our resources and talents on developing launch vehicles and associated launch services. This decision will help us to reach first launch in 2025 and provides SaxaVord with another customer to further strengthen its commercial proposition. It’s a win-win for UK and Scottish space. Medium-sized space rockets will play an important role in the European space industry in years to come. It is part of our strategic plan to offer the market a medium-sized launcher that will compete in Europe for larger payloads. Pausing the construction of our own spaceport enables us to now focus on developing this offering.”
Frank Strang, CEO of SaxaVord spaceport, said, “We’re delighted to welcome Orbex to SaxaVord. Given the scale of their ambition and the evolution of their offer to include a medium-sized launch vehicle, it makes sense for Orbex to start operations from SaxaVord Spaceport, which is already licenced and in a position to support their upcoming launches.”