Will a rocket be launched from Scotland this year?
The Scottish Affairs Committee will hold a one off-evidence session examining the ongoing work to achieve rocket launch capabilities in Scotland.
Meeting details
This session will focus on developments towards this goal over the last year, following on from the work of the previous Scottish Affairs Committee, before the General Election, into Scotland’s space sector. MPs will also look ahead to the prospect of the first ever rocket launch into orbit from Europe being undertaken from Scotland this year.
In January, Rocket Factory Augsburg became the first company to receive a license from the Civil Aviation Authority to launch rockets vertically from UK soil. This session also follows the announcement on 29 January that the UK Government has invested £20 million in the rocket maker Orbex.
In the first panel, the cross-party Committee will hear from SaxaVord, the operator of Scotland’s most advanced potential launch site, in Shetland. Members may ask about the site’s readiness for a rocket launch in 2025, and the site’s long-term potential.
In the second and third panels, MPs will question companies developing rockets who hope to conduct launches from SaxaVord, including Orbex and Rocket Factory Augsburg.
MPs could explore the companies’ decisions to choose SaxaVord as a launch location, and progress on their respective launch programmes. They may also investigate what engagement the companies have had with the UK and Scottish Governments, and how to distinguish Scotland within Europe and globally as a location for commercial launch.