The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has licensed Saxaward, the first vertical launch spaceport in the UK and Western Europe, located on the island of Unst, part of the Shetland Islands in the north of the country. This was stated in an official message Web site CAA.
Saxaward was assessed by the regulator to ensure it met safety and environmental criteria and had the appropriate infrastructure and equipment for space launches. The CAA permit will allow up to 30 launches per year.
Due to its location far from populated areas, Saksavord will make it possible to send rockets into space along the shortest trajectory without the need for additional pitch maneuvers required to fly around populated areas. This will also make it possible to increase the amount of payload to be launched into orbit.
Before the establishment of the spaceport, the island of Unst, with a population of about 650 people, was for a time a Royal Air Force base and, in the distant past, one of the first Viking outposts in the North Atlantic.
Locals say the space initiative could save Shetland from becoming desolate as more people leave due to poor work and living conditions. reports Guardian newspaper.
The first rocket launch from the Saxaward field is expected to occur in 2024.
previously ireland started The first satellite in its history becomes a space country.