First British-made rocket to launch from UK soil
A British-made rocket will attempt to reach space from home soil for the first time later this year, with the project going ahead after receiving £20m in taxpayer funding.
Peter Kyle, the Technology Secretary, announced the investment package for Scotland-based space company Orbex on Wednesday, paving the way for it to launch its first rocket from the Shetland Islands by the end of 2025.
The start-up is building the 62ft Orbex Prime launcher at a factory in Forres, the north of Scotland, which will be tasked with carrying small satellites to orbit.
Orbex, which employs around 140 people, is one of a number of space businesses racing to be the first to complete a successful launch from Britain after the failure of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit in 2023.
It is hoped that a successful mission could set the UK on a path to providing an alternative to more established space giants, such as Elon Musk's SpaceX, while also giving Britain the ability to carry out its own space missions.
Mr Kyle told The Telegraph that the upcoming launch was a 'unique opportunity' for the UK to get ahead of its European rivals and would bring 'prestige' to the domestic space sector.
He also highlighted how the investment forms part of Sir Keir Starmer's attempt to 'hardwire' growth into all Cabinet decisions.
Mr Kyle said: 'Space is one of the global high-growth sectors. We want to seek to harness that.'
He added that the UK would not be merely trying to imitate SpaceX's recent efforts launching satellites, claiming that Britain will not just become a 'mini-America'.
'We do have unique assets here because of our geography and skills,' he said.
If Orbex completes its project, it will be the first UK-made rocket capable of orbital missions since Black Arrow, which last flew in 1971.
Black Arrow completed just one orbital mission, which was conducted from a base in the Australian outback, and never flew from the UK.
By contrast, Orbex is plotting its launch from SaxaVord, a spaceport on the island of Unst in the far north of the UK.
Other companies, such as Edinburgh's Skyrora and German business RFA are also hoping to host missions from the former RAF base.
Meanwhile, a rocket base in Norway is also competing to become the first location in Western Europe to host a successful orbital mission.
Prior to receiving its £20m investment from the Government, Orbex had planned to manage its own rocket base on the Scottish mainland.
However, it pulled the plug on the project last year to focus on developing its low-carbon rocket design.
The decision to drop the Highlands spaceport was met with dismay from local groups, including Highlands and Islands Enterprise – a development agency – which said it was 'deeply disappointed' by the move.
However, Mr Kyle said the UK's space strategy was now 'much more focused', claiming that the department had inherited a 'series of really interesting projects that just did not add up'.
'There was no broader thinking,' he said.
He said that the UK would soon be able to 'design, test, build and launch British rockets, carrying British satellites, from British soil'.
The investment in Orbex will be in the form of a convertible loan – a type of debt that can be converted into equity.
Separately, asked whether No 10 would reconsider some of its tax rises to focus on growth, Mr Kyle said global companies were most concerned about cutting red tape and planning reform.
He also said the UK needed to 'grasp with both hands' the opportunity offered by AI.
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