The first orbital spaceflight from the United Kingdom has come a step closer following the Highland Council’s decision to give the go-ahead for the Space Hub Sutherland spaceport.
Orbex, the UK-based space launch company, has said that Orbex Prime will be the first vertical launch vehicle to fly into orbit from the Space Hub, which will be constructed near Melness on the northern coast of Scotland.
The decision will now be referred to Scottish Government ministers for review.
Orbex today confirmed the company has already signed six launch contracts.
Chris Larmour, chief executive of Orbex, said: “The Highland Council’s approval of the spaceport is a landmark in the history of spaceflight in Europe and will place the community around Tongue, Melness and Skerray, the Highlands region, Scotland and the United Kingdom at the very heart of the European space launch industry."
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He said: “We would like to congratulate Highlands and Islands Enterprise on their leadership of this project and thank numerous local people for their active engagement and support throughout the meticulous planning process.
"We look forward to becoming an integral part of the local community as we establish our own permanent team at the Space Hub.”
The go-ahead for Space Hub Sutherland coincides with a period of intensive work within Orbex while design and development work has continued throughout the pandemic.
Orbex’s innovative coaxial fuel tank is being subjected to ongoing cryogenic testing, and the company recently signed a lease to install a new testing facility on the former RAF base at Kinloss, close to the company’s headquarters in Forres.
In parallel, Orbex’s rocket engines have been progressing through a programme of increasingly demanding performance tests while avionics and guidance systems are also being ground tested.
Several new starters joined the Orbex team in recent weeks, with more expected to join over the summer period. Recruitment is expected to accelerate now that Orbex’s preferred option of an easily accessible launch site in Scotland has been approved. Orbex has also partnered with the UK Space Agency’s SPIN programme, offering long-term internships to give young engineers hands-on experience of launch vehicle design and production.
The Highland Council’s decision will allow Orbex to complete the detailed scoping of its own launch site installation and launch preparation team, which will create full-time, permanent jobs at the Space Hub.
Recruitment is expected to start while the spaceport construction is under way.
Highland and Islands Enterprise said: "The Highland Council’s North Planning Applications Committee today approved plans by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to build a vertical launch spaceport in Sutherland.
"Council approval means that small commercial satellites and launch vehicles designed and manufactured in Scotland could be heading into orbit from a Scottish spaceport within the next few years.
"The committee’s decision will now be referred to Scottish Government ministers for review."
Conceived and developed as an environmentally sustainable launch system, Orbex Prime will use renewable biofuels to deliver an industry-leading ultra-low CO2 footprint. The Orbex vehicle is intended to be recoverable and re-usable, normally leaving no debris in the ocean or in orbit around the Earth.
“The go-ahead for the Space Hub Sutherland, combined with the steady progress of the Orbex Prime launch vehicle, are important steps towards the first truly orbital space flight from the UK. The last piece of the jigsaw puzzle is the regulatory framework that will govern launches, and we look forward to those regulations being laid before Parliament in the coming weeks,” added Mr Larmour.
Braehead shopping centre owner Intu has tumbled into administration after failed crunch talks with its lenders.
The shopping centre owner said it has applied to appoint administrators from KPMG, after warning earlier on Friday that it was on the verge of collapse.
The confirmation came minutes after the London Stock Exchange suspended shares in the listed firm.
However, the company said its shopping centres will continue to trade for the time being despite its insolvency.
Braehead houses stores inlcuding Marks and Spencer and Boots.
Intu, which also runs Lakeside in Essex, had been in a desperate scramble to agree a "standstill" on its current loan agreements.
Earlier on Friday the group said it was likely to appoint administrators, as it remained unable to agree the terms of such a deal with its creditors.
In a statement, the group, which had until midnight on Friday to reach a deal, said "insufficient alignment and agreement has been achieved".
Earlier this week, Intu said it put the administrators from KPMG on stand-by as it looked to secure a deal ahead of the midnight deadline on its current loan covenants.
The group has struggled under a £4.5 billion debt burden for the past year, but has been hammered by significantly lower rent payments from retail tenants since the coronavirus outbreak.
Intu employs about 3,000 staff across the UK, while a further 102,000 work for the shops within its shopping centres.
It warned on Tuesday that its malls may be forced to shut if it was unable to secure the standstill agreement.
Betting firm 888 Holdings said it expects to surpass profit expectations for 2020 after a surge in online gaming during the lockdown.
Shares leapt higher after it revealed that average daily revenue for the year to date has been 34% higher than for last year.
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It said the performance was driven by new customers it gained during the second half of 2019.
The firm added that it has also benefited from the "structural shift towards online services" which has accelerated since people were told to stay at home and betting shops were forced to temporarily close to customers.
The group said that it is "mindful of possible headwinds" during the rest of year, despite "encouraging momentum" in recent months.
Shares were up 13.9% at 172p.
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