Highlands and Islands Enterprise / Orbex · A'Mhoine peninsula, Sutherland, Scotland, United Kingdom
Launch Pads
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Annual Launches
0
Max Payload (LEO)
—
Established
2023
Sutherland Spaceport on the A'Mhoine peninsula in the Scottish Highlands is under construction as a vertical launch site for small orbital rockets. Orbex, a UK-European launch company, is the primary tenant and plans to launch its Prime rocket from the site. The spaceport aims to serve the growing European small satellite market with access to polar orbits.
| Region | Europe |
| Country | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 58.5000° N, -4.7000° E |
| Ownership | Public–Private |
| Parent Entity | Highlands and Islands Enterprise (Scottish government regional dev agency) + Orbex Space (private) |
| Regulatory Regime | UK CAA under the Space Industry Act 2018; planning consent granted Aug 2022 by Highland Council |
| Latitude Advantage | 58.5 deg N — direct polar/SSO injection; ~2 deg further south than SaxaVord but with shorter ferry/supply chain from mainland UK |
| Azimuth Range | 0 deg-15 deg (due north over the Atlantic) |
| Website | https://www.orbex.space |
Anchor Tenants
Active Users
Strategic Value
Anchor-tenant model (single-customer site) vs. SaxaVord's multi-tenant approach — bet is that Orbex's vertically-integrated rocket+spaceport play yields better unit economics if Prime reaches operational cadence.
Recent Activity
Orbex announced October 2024 it would shift its Prime maiden flight to SaxaVord first while Sutherland construction continues; Sutherland site activity slowed pending Prime second-flight readiness in 2027.
2027
Site construction completion; first launch readiness review
2028
Orbex Prime first launch from Sutherland (after SaxaVord maiden)
2029
Target cadence of 4-6 Prime launches/year