UK strengthens position as
European small satellite launch destination of
choice
22 October 2020
Lockheed Martin to develop
UK launch operations from Shetland Space Centre
on the island of Unst.
Orbex and Highlands and
Islands Enterprise continue to advance launch
plans from Space Hub Sutherland.
Hundreds of space jobs will
be created in Scotland following the approval of
plans for Lockheed Martin to transfer its
satellite launch operations to Shetland Space
Centre by the UK government.
Shetland Space Centre
anticipates that by 2024, the spaceport site
could support a total of 605 jobs in Scotland
including 140 locally and 210 across the wider
Shetland region. A further 150 jobs will also be
created through wider manufacturing and support
services.
Following a thorough
process of due diligence, the UK Space Agency
has confirmed that Lockheed Martin’s plans to
move its UK Pathfinder Launch to the Shetland
site at Lamba Ness on Unst would continue to
deliver long-term value and help establish a
sustainable, commercial launch market as part of
the UK’s spaceflight programme – LaunchUK.
Lockheed Martin is in
discussions with a preferred partner to provide
launch services for its UK Pathfinder Launch,
which would take place from Shetland Space
Centre.
UK Government Amanda
Solloway, Science Minister, said:
We want the UK to be the best place in Europe to
launch satellites, attracting innovative
businesses from all over the world and creating
hundreds of high-skilled jobs.
The potential to have
multiple spaceports in Scotland demonstrates the
scale of our ambition, and I want to support
industry by pressing ahead with our plans during
this challenging time.
This government is
committed to backing our growing space sector,
developing a comprehensive space strategy and
supporting transformative technologies that will
benefit people and businesses across the
country.
UK Government Minister for
Scotland Iain Stewart said:
The UK Government is committed to cementing the
UK’s position as a global leader in the space
sector. The creation of the Shetland Space
Centre is incredibly exciting news and a real
boost for the local economy.
Our investment in Scottish
spaceports is creating hundreds of secure and
skilled jobs for people in Scotland.
The Shetland Space Centre a
huge step forward for our ambitious UK
Spaceflight programme.
Just as an airport can
handle a range of different airlines and
aircraft, Space Hub Sutherland has been designed
as a multi-user site able to cater for the needs
of multiple launch providers. This ensures it
will be able to continue to compete for a wide
range of exciting vertical launch opportunities.
The UK Space Agency will
also continue to fully support Space Hub
Sutherland through grant funding to Highlands
and Islands Enterprise to develop the spaceport
infrastructure and to UK-based launch partner,
Orbex, to prepare its innovative Prime rocket to
launch from the site in 2022.
An economic assessment of
the Spaceport Sutherland site reported in 2019
that the site is due to create over 60
high-skilled jobs in Sutherland and Caithness,
and 250 jobs in the wider area.
Ivan McKee, Scottish
Government Minister for Trade, Investment and
Innovation said:
This is an extremely exciting time for the
emerging space sector globally, and Scotland is
situated at the very forefront of this.
The transfer of Lockheed
Martin’s UK pathfinder satellite launch to
Shetland Space Centre will enhance Scotland’s
existing vertical launch capability and enable
us to target a wider market base through a
complementary offer across multiple spaceports.
This will provide an
economic boost not only to the Shetland Isles
but also maximise the commercial opportunity
across the wider region, with Highlands and
Islands Enterprise leading the delivery of Space
Hub Sutherland alongside Scottish-based launch
partner, Orbex.
Developing domestic
spaceflight capabilities will play a key role in
levelling up the UK economy, driving investment,
fostering growth and creating new jobs.
Scotland is already home to
some of the world’s most innovative satellite
manufacturers, and its ability to host
complementary launch sites puts the UK firmly on
the map as Europe’s leading small satellite
launch destination.
The economic benefits of
launch will be shared across the Highlands and
Islands region and both Space Hub Sutherland and
Shetland Space Centre have already attracted
significant commercial interest in their plans.
In 2019, Orbex opened a rocket design and
manufacturing facility in Forres, near
Inverness, which is anticipated to bring 130
highly-skilled jobs to the region.
Nik Smith, UK Country
Executive at Lockheed Martin said:
The UK has a vibrant space sector, which can
stimulate the national as well as regional
economies. As a long-standing strategic partner
to the UK, Lockheed Martin is committed to
building on its proud heritage to support the UK
government’s role of growing capabilities in
space, exciting imagination and advancing the
frontiers of science.
From the outset our focus
has been on realising the greatest economic
benefit for the UK through the Spaceflight
programme. The transfer of our UK spaceflight
operations to Shetland will not only broaden
launch options available in the UK, but also
ensure the economic benefits of these endeavours
are felt more widely.
Space has a significant
role to play in generating economic growth,
creating high-skilled jobs and tackling global
challenges, from climate change to the spread of
infectious diseases. The ability to launch small
satellites for Earth observation and
communications will boost UK efforts to tackle
these challenges by providing valuable tools and
data that can help analyse and predict impacts
and support effective decisions and mitigation
strategies.
The UK’s spaceflight
programme – LaunchUK – is working with a range
of additional partners to establish commercial
vertical and horizontal small satellite launch
from UK spaceports including Spaceport Cornwall
and Virgin Orbit.