Proposed or active spaceports in north Europe

The remaining assets of the Sutherland spaceport on the north coast of Scotland that went bankrupt, partly because of regulatory delays and partly due to opposition of billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen (who owned land in the area and was also an investor in the United Kingdom’s other spaceport Saxavord, have now been purchased by the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), a local government agency.

Having acquired the company’s assets, HIE plans to review how the site can best be used to create jobs and other economic benefits for local people and support the continued growth of the UK space sector. HIE director of strategic projects David Oxley said, “The Highlands and Islands is the best region in the UK for vertical launch, boasting a northern latitude, low population density and proximity to the coast. All of these features are highly prized by space companies and make Sutherland a prime location for launch. Our acquisition of SSL’s assets creates a great opportunity for future development with the potential to create highly skilled jobs and training opportunities on-site and support the growth of supply chain businesses.

“Having acquired these assets, our next move will be to work with the local community and players in the space sector to inform future decisions on how to make the most of the spaceport’s potential to deliver long-term economic benefits.”

Whether HIE can bring Sutherland back to life is questionable, as there does not appear to be any interest among rocket companies to launch from there. The rocket startup Orbex committed enormous capital building its rocket factory near Sutherland while signing a 50 year lease for its launch site there. It then got stalled for years by red tape and local lawsuits which eventually resulted in the company’s bankruptcy. Most other startups have seen this history and want nothing to do with the UK.