Space Science & Technology | 12th November 2026
The UK Government has acquired a stake exceeding 25% in Scotland's SaxaVord Spaceport following the completion of a £60 million public-private investment agreement aimed at strengthening Britain's independent access to space.
Companies House filings submitted on 6 November confirm that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology became a significant shareholder in Shetland Space Centre Limited, which operates the spaceport on the island of Unst.
The government now controls more than 25%, but no more than 50%, of the company's shares. Its precise ownership percentage has not been disclosed.
The investment follows a September announcement committing £30 million in government funding, matched by £30 million from private investor Wild Ventures, which is associated with Danish businessman Anders Holch Povlsen.
The funding will support the completion of SaxaVord's three launchpads, mission management facilities and a second spacecraft and rocket integration hangar.
SaxaVord is Britain's first licensed vertical-launch spaceport, with regulatory approval for up to 30 launches annually.
German company Rocket Factory Augsburg is preparing to conduct the first orbital launch from the site using its RFA ONE rocket, although the mission has slipped into 2027.
Other European launch providers are also exploring opportunities to operate from the Scottish facility.
The investment is intended to help establish regular commercial launch operations, allowing British and European satellite operators to launch spacecraft without relying exclusively on overseas facilities.
The UK has an established satellite manufacturing and research industry but has yet to demonstrate a successful orbital launch from British soil.
Developing SaxaVord into an operational spaceport would help address that gap while supporting the wider European commercial launch industry.
The latest investment also gives the British Government a substantial ownership interest in infrastructure considered important to the country's future space capabilities.
The next major milestone will be the first successful orbital mission from SaxaVord, demonstrating whether Britain's growing launch infrastructure can deliver reliable access to space.
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