UK spaceport
Virgin Orbit expects first U.K. launch in August
Virgin Orbit expects to perform its first launch from England in late August, pending award of a British launch license, a company executive said May 25.
National Reconnaissance Office partners with U.K. on space mission to fly on Virgin Orbit rocket
The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office and the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense will launch a joint mission this summer on Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket.
Astra to launch from U.K. spaceport
Astra announced May 10 that it plans to carry out launches from a spaceport in the Shetland Islands starting in 2023 as part of international expansion plans.
Regulators uncertain on schedule for first U.K. launch
Plans to host the first orbital launches from the United Kingdom this year are moving ahead despite uncertainty about when regulators will grant licenses for those launches.
Sierra Space signs Dream Chaser agreement with British spaceport
Sierra Space, the new space subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation, announced June 9 that it signed an initial agreement with a British spaceport that could lead to landings of the company’s Dream Chaser vehicle there.
Lockheed Martin selects ABL Space Systems for UK launch
ABL Space Systems will conduct a launch for Lockheed Martin from a new spaceport in the Shetland Islands, fulfilling an agreement with the British government announced in 2018.
Lockheed Martin shifts U.K. launch site
More than two years after Lockheed Martin announced it would be one of the first customers of a proposed spaceport in Scotland, the company has decided to move to another proposed spaceport there.
British government finalizing launch regulations
The British government expects to soon release a comprehensive set of regulations that will enable companies to perform commercial launches from spaceports in the country.
Virgin Orbit moving ahead with U.K. launch plans
Virgin Orbit and the British government are continuing efforts to begin flights of the company’s air-launch system from an English airport by early 2022 despite challenges on both sides of the Atlantic.
U.K. government to fund spaceport improvements for Virgin Orbit
The U.K. Space Agency will provide $9.5 million for infrastructure at a British airport that seeks to host Virgin Orbit’s air-launch system.
U.K. to fund development of spaceport facilities for Virgin Orbit
The U.K. Space Agency and a local government announced plans June 4 to invest in facilities at a British airport to support launch operations by Virgin Orbit.
Clearer picture emerging of the future of “rapid space”
Lockheed VP: “As the UK develops its space industry further, I think you’ll see bigger economics from the mini-satellites and the value they create from data."
Lockheed Martin yet to select vehicle to launch from British spaceport
While Lockheed Martin continues to suggest it will use Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket at a Scottish launch site announced at the beginning of this week, company officials said July 17 they have yet to formally select a vehicle to fly at the site.
British company reveals details about its smallsat launch vehicle
A British company has released new details about a small satellite launch vehicle it expects to have ready in the next few years, part of a growing number of ventures seeking to build and launch rockets from the country.
Consortium including Lockheed Martin wants to develop a spaceport in the Scottish Highlands
The consortium has met with local officials and submitted a proposal to the U.K. Space Agency, with a goal of having the facility operational by 2020.
U.K. offering grants for launches from new spaceports in the country
The UK Space Agency said the grants are worth up to £10 million ($12.5 million) but launches must begin by 2020.
Britain endorses ESA, promises increased export-credit support for industry
The British government has emphatically endorsed its investment in the 22-nation European Space Agency and rejected a parliamentary proposal that its space budget be more evenly divided between ESA and a national program.
Britain selects U.S., French, British teams to study spaceport feasibility
The British government has awarded feasibility-study contracts to five industrial teams that want to operate orbital or suborbital launch vehicles from British territory on a commercial basis.
