Lockheed Martin to launch satellites from Shetland
Britain has taken a step closer to realising its space race ambitions after it was confirmed Lockheed Martin will push ahead with plans to launch satellites from Scotland.
Plans have been approved for the US defence and aerospace giant to transfer its satellite launch operations to the island of Unst in a move that it is said will create hundreds of jobs.
The company originally intended to launch its first satellite in the UK from a space hub at Sutherland in the Scottish Highland, but the site was hit by planning restrictions limiting it to 12 launches a year.
It is expected Britain will see its first ever space launch in the next few years, with ministers saying they want to make the country “the best place in Europe to launch satellites”.
Seven “spaceports” are currently being developed across the UK which will be able to conduct rocket launches both vertically from the ground and in the air from aircraft.
The Government has now signed off plans for Lockheed Martin to move to the Shetland Space Centre, where it says 605 jobs could be supported by 2024.
The US company will launch a small satellite known as a pathfinder at the site.
Amanda Solloway, the science minister, said: “We want the UK to be the best place in Europe to launch satellites, attracting innovative businesses from all over the world and creating hundreds of high-skilled jobs.
“The potential to have multiple spaceports in Scotland demonstrates the scale of our ambition, and I want to support industry by pressing ahead with our plans during this challenging time."
The spaceport at Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands, which is planning to launch a rocket in 2022, is also currently being supported by the UK Space Agency.
Nik Smith, the UK executive at Lockheed Martin, said: “The UK has a vibrant space sector, which can stimulate the national as well as regional economies.
“As a long-standing strategic partner to the UK, Lockheed Martin is committed to building on its proud heritage to support the UK government’s role of growing capabilities in space, exciting imagination and advancing the frontiers of science.”
