By BlueShift | 2026-03-06

While the British company that was spearheading the development of a spaceport on the north coast of Scotland ceased trading in February, new developments offer cause for optimism about the project's eventual revival.

Rocket developer Orbex entered administration last month following the collapse of a planned takeover by French-German start-up The Exploration Company, in a development seen as significant setback for British space ambitions.

But with Glasgow-based Skyrora now expressing interest in acquiring Orbex assets, including the Sutherland Spaceport, and other potential interest brewing, there may be a chance the project can be reactivated.

In a statement, Skyrora said it "intends to explore the purchase of select Orbex assets, including the Sutherland Spaceport," which could see it invest up to 10 million GBP ($13.6 million) in the project, AFP reported.

But Skyrora noted it was "a preliminary expression of interest only."

Skyrora recently became the first UK-based rocket firm to receive a space launch license, enabling it to launch and operate its suborbital rocket Skylark L from the SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands, the BBC reported last August.

"If a future launch is successful, the company could become the first British company to manufacture and launch a rocket into space from the UK," it said.

According to Scottish newspaper The Herald, 20 potential buyers have shown interest in acquiring Orbex's assets, though it is not clear if this interest extends to the spaceport.

Other Orbex assets include the low-carbon Prime micro-launcher -- featuring the world's largest 3D-printed rocket engine -- and associated launch infrastructure, as well as other technology and intellectual property.

The framing from Skyrora is "explicitly nationalistic," Space Commerce Week reported February 22.

The intention is to keep "UK technology under UK ownership, protecting national infrastructure, and safeguarding the return on taxpayer investment that went into Orbex over the years," the industry publication said.

It is too early to speculate, it stressed. "But if Skyrora does pull this off, it would be a remarkable consolidation story — one UK launch company absorbing the assets of another to create something more resilient."

The Sutherland Spaceport alone would be a significant prize, it added, "as it’s one of the few licensed launch facilities in Europe capable of reaching polar and sun-synchronous orbits."

Long-term prospects

Located on a remote peninsula in Scotland's Caithness and Sutherland county, Sutherland was initially slated to become the UK's first spaceport, specifically designed for vertical launches.

It is well positioned to launch rockets carrying small satellites over the North Pole.

The spaceport project was announced with fanfare in July 2018, with an initial 2.5 million GBP ($3.3 million) UK Space Agency grant.

Orbex began construction in 2023, but paused it at the end of 2024, when it decided to shift its launch operations to SaxaVord, in the Shetland Islands.

The Sutherland project had kindled hopes for the local economy, with its supply chain expected to eventually support hundreds of jobs, as well as related tourism opportunities.

And it had been hailed for its potential to help the UK Space Agency secure its stated goal of commanding 10% of the world space market by 2030.

Space remains one of Britain's fastest growing sectors, generating more than 17.5 billion GBP ($23.6 billion) per year and outpacing other sectors of the economy.

In total, the spaceport project has received around 76 million GBP ($102.6 million) in public investment from the governments of the UK and Scotland, per Scottish newspaper The Herald.

It is not clear how much of this can be recouped, and remains to be seen what role the government will play in the spaceport project going forward.

Melness Crofters’ Estate, which owns the land Sutherland Spaceport occupies, "has reaffirmed its commitment to bringing a fully operational and community-focused Sutherland Spaceport to life," the Northern Times reported February 20.

The spaceport's lease is held by an Orbex subsidiary, Sutherland Spaceport Ltd (SSL), and could be sold to a new operator.

"Despite Orbex’s collapse, MCE stressed that the long-term vision for the spaceport remains unchanged," the Northern Times said.

"The estate made clear that any future operator must fully respect the lease and the land’s intended purpose."

The UK is a founding member of the European Space Agency, and has maintained a robust partnership with it since Brexit.

Europe maintains independent access to space via its spaceport in French Guiana, but is aggressively seeking to expand this access, via key operational sites in the UK and in Norway, Sweden and Portugal.

Leading projects include SaxaVord, which is the UK's first fully licensed vertical launch spaceport and the first in Western Europe, Norway's Andøya and Sweden's Esrange, which are also designed for vertical orbital launches.