We’re proposing to create a vertical launch site at Melness in Sutherland to put small communications satellites into Earth orbit.

The site will include a launch pad, control centre and associated infrastructure for the transport and preparation of launch vehicles.

The UK Space Agency has awarded grant funding of £2.5m to HIE to support the development.

HIE has confirmed a funding in principle for the project totalling £17.3m, (including the £2.5m from UKSA and £9.8m from HIE) subject to conditions.

HIE will develop the infrastructure required – access roads, buildings and a launch pad – and the site will be run by a commercial operator.

We expect construction to start during 2021 and to last around 15 months.

Key requirements will include an assembly building with ancillary structures, launch and operations control centre, access roads, antenna farms, fuel storage, launch pad complex, launch towers, safety and security fencing and associated infrastructure.  You can access our plans on the Highland Council website, and take a virtual flight over the location and see inside the control tower in our fly-through video.

Our proposal is that HIE will design and own the space hub. A Launch Site Operator (LSO) will be procured who will ultimately be responsible for site operations.

Launch vehicles will arrive in sections to be assembled in the integration facility. The small satellites will arrive assembled and receive final checks before being loaded into the launcher. A moving gantry will take the launcher a short distance to a concrete launch pad, where it will be raised from a horizontal to a vertical position, fuelled and launched.

Key factors that led HIE to support Sutherland as an optimal vertical launch site include:

• A flight trajectory that does not overfly populated areas
• Appropriate weather for scheduled launches
• Access to key orbits 
• Both polar and sun-synchronous orbits can be achieved from North Scotland – these currently account for 95% of future orbital requirements.
• Significant interest from two highly credible launch companies – Lockheed Martin and Orbex.
• Availability of skilled labour, aligned with the present decommissioning of Dounreay nuclear facility.

Yes. We expect to create road access from the A838.  You can view the latest plans on this site.

As part of our planning submission we have developed a traffic management plan.  We believe that structural upgrades will not be needed, but recognise that the development would lead to increased traffic volumes during both construction and operations. 

An economic assessment published in February 2020 concluded that the launch facility will support around 250 well-paid jobs in the Highlands and Islands, including 61 in Caithness and Sutherland (44 at Space Hub Sutherland itself).

Within five years of operations beginning, we expect there will be around 40 jobs on site, including opportunities for apprenticeships.  The range of skills required is likely to involve: mechanical and electrical engineering; weather monitoring; control room operations, ground services, rangers, security, fuel services, marketing, management, housekeeping and administration. There will also be posts working with launch and satellite companies and with academic and research institutions.

We are determined to ensure the project generates community benefits and that these will be informed by the wishes of local people.

We are committed to maximising the opportunities from the growing international space sector to the whole region and are continuing to work with other projects in the Highlands and Islands.

The opportunities for our region go beyond hosting a launch site, including manufacturing, supply chain development and the attraction of inward investment.

Based on international experience, a satellite launch facility can add to the attractiveness of the region as a place to visit.  HIE intends to work with the local community to explore ways of maximising the benefit from those wishing to visit and watch a launch.

No. 

The site is intended to be used by multiple launch companies able to adhere to the constraints and regulations.

Two companies have stated their intentions to launch satellites into space from the Sutherland site – Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Orbex. Both have been awarded funding from the UKSA to support their ambitions.

We are working towards the first launch taking place in 2022.

The space hub is being developed for small, commercial satellites. 

These are generally used for Earth observation, including vegetation, weather, cloud cover, ice cover and so on. Much of the science to monitor and understand climate change is enabled by satellite data.

Most of these satellites will be developed by commercial companies, including some based in Scotland.

A small satellite is an unmanned spacecraft that orbits Earth and sends back data for a variety of commercial and scientific uses. Satellites can weigh many tons, but the UK has pioneered smaller systems that cost less to build and launch.

The Orbex Prime launcher can carry a total payload of 180kg which could be made up of multiple small satellites.

The flight path is to the north to access ‘high inclination’ orbits such as polar and sun-synchronous orbits  

Our site is being designed as a commercial spaceport. It is not a military facility. 

The planning permission limits the number of launches at 12 per year.

It is likely to take a few years to achieve full capacity.

12 flights per year is consistent with Orbex’s optimum launch cadence from Sutherland.

The Orbex ‘Prime’ vehicle designed and built by Orbex is around 19m tall and 1.3m wide.   Our design anticipates that all launch vehicles using Space Hub Sutherland will be of a similar scale.

Fuels such as kerosene (aviation fuel) or liquid propane (Calor Gas) will be used, with liquid oxygen as the oxidiser.

Orbex is pioneering the use of bio-propane in conjunction with liquid oxygen as the oxidiser. Bio-propane is chemically identical to the propane (e.g. Calor Gas) used for domestic heating in houses not connected to mains gas supply.

Bio-propane is a renewable sustainable fuel that, in combination with the low mass of the Orbex Prime, will reduce the carbon footprint for launch by 90%. Bio propane burns very cleanly, leaving no atmospheric carbon unlike conventional kerosene rocket fuels.

The operations of the spaceport will be highly regulated by the appropriate regulatory bodies, ensuring that safety is robustly checked and enforced. Prior to launch, the spaceport and the launchers will be required to apply for UK launch licences under the Space Industry Act 2018.

The regulatory framework governing launches is expected to be laid before parliament in the coming months.

Yes. For safety reasons, the public will be restricted from entering a zone of round the launch pad and extending out towards the north coast in the short period before launches. We anticipate this zone will be required for no more than six hours. 

Yes. Before and during launch there will be temporary exclusion zones that will place restrictions on marine and air users. 

We recognise the need for areas to be defined to allow the public to view the launches safely without causing undue disruption. It is clear that careful planning and management will be needed and details will be worked out before launches take place and an initial strategy for this will be included in the planning submission. 

We fully recognise and value the importance of the natural environmental around the proposed space hub and will ensure full compliance with the conditions attached to our planning approval. We are currently completing a highly detailed and comprehensive environmental impact assessment report which has involved consulting with regulatory agencies and statutory consultees.

We will assess the impact that noise, vibration and land use from the operation and construction of the space hub will have on local flora and fauna. Bird surveys have been in progress since 2017. 

Noise surveys will be carried out during both the construction phase and operational use.

Launches will only be audible outside the exclusion zones for a few minutes during each launch.

Information on potential pollutants that could be emitted during a typical launch will be modelled to assess the likely increase in concentrations. The significance of effects on air quality will be covered in the environmental impact assessment.

As Orbex plans to use clean-burning bio-propane, emissions will be limited to a small amount of CO2 and water vapour.

Building and road design will minimise the amount of peat to be disturbed and/or removed. A peat management plan will be prepared to examine how the peat removed can be used elsewhere on the site. This will include potential opportunities to restore areas that had been degraded by the extraction of peat in past times. 

Our environmental impact assessment, submitted as part of our planning application, examines the potential impacts on the marine environment

From the outset, Orbex has always planned to recover the Stage 1 booster from the sea to minimise any marine debris. In addition, Orbex is developing a system with support from the European Space Agency that will enable boosters to be re-used for multiple missions.

The partners are working with the Civil Aviation Authority and other bodies to ensure that this is co-ordinated.