SaxaVord Spaceport has finalised a £60 million public-private funding agreement to complete key launch infrastructure at Lamba Ness on Unst, Shetland. The package combines £30 million from the UK Government with a matching £30 million commitment from long-standing investor Wild Ventures, according to the funding announcement in early November 2026.

The agreement advances a funding plan outlined in September into a signed contract, supporting continued construction at the UK's licensed vertical launch spaceport as operators prepare future rocket campaigns. The investment will fund completion of three launchpads, mission management infrastructure and a second integration hangar.

Infrastructure Priorities

The funded facilities address distinct operational needs at the Shetland site. Launchpads accommodate launch vehicles and associated ground equipment, while integration buildings provide space for preparation and assembly before a rocket is moved to its launch position. Mission management facilities coordinate the systems and activities required during each campaign.

A second integration hangar is designed to give the site additional preparation space as it works with multiple operators, whose launch vehicles may require different assembly sequences, servicing arrangements and checks before transfer to a pad. The site's former radar station conversion into launch facilities has involved specialist equipment, materials and personnel movement due to the remote northern Shetland location.

SaxaVord holds regulatory approval for up to 30 launches a year. Operating several pads will require launch campaigns to be scheduled around vehicle preparation, ground-system testing, maintenance and inspection after individual flights. The planned infrastructure will give operators more facilities as flight programmes advance.

Wild Ventures Commitment and Investor Structure

The UK Government had set out its planned £30 million investment in September, subject at that stage to due diligence and final approval. SaxaVord identified a matching £30 million private contribution as part of the same programme. The agreement finalised in late October confirms Wild Ventures' matching commitment and the public investment structure.

Wild Ventures, an investment arm of Heartland, has supported the project for several years and is a long-standing SaxaVord shareholder. The arrangement allows additional investors potentially to participate in the funding Wild Ventures has committed, expanding the shareholder base while maintaining the overall £60 million commitment.

Launch Provider Readiness

Multiple operators are preparing campaigns from SaxaVord. Germany's Rocket Factory Augsburg is working towards an orbital test flight using its RFA ONE vehicle, following a postponed 2026 launch window. HyImpulse is preparing a separate suborbital campaign involving its SR75 rocket.

Their different mission profiles bring distinct vehicle preparation, flight planning and range safety requirements. HyImpulse secured its UK launch operator licence in October and is targeting spring 2027 for its first flight from Shetland. Suborbital vehicles follow a trajectory that does not achieve a sustained orbit, while an orbital launch must reach the velocity and flight path needed for a spacecraft to remain in orbit.

SaxaVord's spaceport licence provides the regulatory framework for the site, while launch operators require authorisations covering their own activities and vehicles. Completion of the ground facilities and necessary flight-specific preparations will proceed alongside operators' engineering programmes. Each launch provider remains responsible for completing its vehicle and campaign preparations, with programmes drawing on common site infrastructure but following separate regulatory and technical timetables.

Path Forward

With the funding agreement signed, SaxaVord can continue construction work in parallel with launch providers' vehicle development and campaign preparations. Completion of the ground systems will enable operators to carry out the integration and readiness activities required before a flight. The site's first launch will depend on those preparations and relevant authorisations, while later campaigns will require dependable pad turnaround, integration capacity and coordination between operators.

The public-private arrangement reflects SaxaVord's role as the UK's licensed vertical launch spaceport and the investment strategy required to support multiple operators and flight campaigns from a remote island location.