Journey to Launch - Chapter 004 - The Foundation of Flight ...
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Launch site
Our home spaceport, Sutherland Spaceport, is located on the A’Mhoine peninsula on the north coast of Scotland. Its location makes it the ideal place to launch small satellites into orbit.
As well as being the first spaceport in the UK capable of vertical rocket launches to gain full planning permission, it is also unique in other ways. It is the only spaceport in the world to be designed to be carbon neutral in terms of construction and operation, so it’s the perfect partner for the world’s most environmentally friendly space rocket.
The launch site is made up of 3 interconnected locations to suit customer needs and requirements:
- Launch Operation Control Centre (LOCC)
- Launch Site Integration Facility (LSIF)
- Launch Pad
Orbex will lead the construction and operation of the spaceport following the announcement in November 2022 that we had been awarded a 50-year lease (with 25-year extension option) of the location from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
Our flexible schedule and the location of Sutherland Spaceport, which has good proximity to transport links and is close to our UK production and test facilities, ensures that we can deliver fast turnaround for our customers.
Get in touch to find out more about launching your satellite from Scotland.
Why Scotland?
Sutherland offers easy access to polar orbits
Payloads
Dedicated launch for small satellites
The Orbex Prime launch vehicle can place up to 180 kg of customer payloads into Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).
Orbits
Direct orbital access
Orbex launch operations conducted from Sutherland Spaceport on the A’Mhoine peninsula on the north coast of Scotland provides safe access to high inclination LEO, Polar Orbits and Sun Synchronous Orbits (SSO) with orbital inclinations from 83° to 100°.