A husband-and-wife team have won their bid to open the first spaceport for vertical rocket launches in the UK.

Up to 30 rockets will be launched each year from SaxaVord Spacesport on a former RAF base at the northern-most point of the Shetland Islands after it was granted the licence by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

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The spaceport is licensed from 2024 and caters for companies looking to launch satellites into polar, sun-synchronous orbits. So far, just under £30 million has been spent on developing the spaceport, which includes three launch pads and a hangar for assembling rockets.

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Tim Johnson, director of space regulation at the CAA, said: “Granting SaxaVord their licence is an era-defining moment for the UK space sector. This marks the beginning of a new chapter for UK space as rockets may soon launch satellites into orbit from Scotland.

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While Cornwall Spaceport became the UK’s first licensed spaceport, SaxaVord’s licence allows it to host vertical launches rather than horizontal launches of rockets carried by aircraft.