A German rocket engine has exploded magnificently during a test at SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland, UK. Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) hopes to be the first company to launch a vertical rocket into orbit from the UK.
This event comes three months after the first test at the site on the island of Unst, which lies north of Scotland in the UK. Compared to Monday’s spectacular scenes, that ground test was far less remarkable and paved the way to the next phase of the testing, with RFA successfully firing their engines for eight seconds before shutting down. However, this week’s test, which put nine of the rocket’s engines under the spotlight, resulted in large flames and plumes of black smoke billowing from the side of the structure.
RFA said that the launch pad was “saved and is secured,” with SaxaVord confirming that the site was evacuated before the test commenced to ensure the safety of all staff. The British spaceport was also quick to dispel any rumors that things had gone awry, emphasizing that it “was a test, and test campaigns are designed to identify issues prior to the next stage.” The spaceport has declared that it is ready to continue its ambition to conduct the first vertical launch from UK soil, stating that it will “work with RFA to understand and learn from the causes and support them as they move forward to the next phase.”
SaxaVord was given the go-ahead from the Civil Aviation Authority to begin orbital launches in December 2023, hoping to become the first fully-licensed spaceport in Western Europe to conduct vertical launches. This follows Cornwall Spaceport, which is located on the south coast of England, being the first spaceport to launch its rockets horizontally from an aircraft. However, Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit failed to succeed with its mission in January last year, losing the satellites it was hoping to release into orbit from underneath the modified 747 jet nicknamed Cosmic Girl. This led to the rocket company shutting down just months later, a fate that RFA seems likely to avoid.
SaxaVord Spaceport was—perhaps ironically—originally billed to be an ecotourism attraction, but co-owners Frank and Debbie Strang changed the site’s intentions when the UK government announced that it was seeking new sites for vertical launches. The island on which the spaceport sits is home to around 700 people, and its remoteness is one of the key determiners of it being an ideal location for cosmic endeavors.
Source: BBC, The Guardian
