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A rocket engine exploded during a test launch at Britain’s new spaceport in northern Scotland, officials said Tuesday, in a setback for the UK’s fledgling space sector.<\/p>\n
No one was injured in Monday evening’s incident at SaxaVord Spaceport on the remote island of Unst, said the operator, German rocket manufacturer Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA).<\/p>\n
The company hopes to launch the UK’s first vertical rocket into orbit from there later this year. Monday’s failed test was one of the trials in the run-up to the launch.<\/p>\n
It comes three months after RFA held its first engine test at the site, which was declared a success.<\/p>\n
“On Monday evening, RFA conducted a hot fire of its first stage at their launch site at SaxaVord Spaceport,” said a spokesperson for the German company.<\/p>\n
“This resulted in an anomaly that led to the loss of the stage. No-one was injured in the process.<\/p>\n
“The launch pad has been saved and is secured, the situation is under control and any immediate danger has been mitigated.”<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for SaxaVord said it “will work with RFA to understand and learn from the causes and support them as they move forward to the next phase of their preparations”.<\/p>\n
SaxaVord is the first fully licensed vertical launch spaceport in Europe.<\/p>\n
It is one of several space centers sprouting up around the continent amid a surge in popularity of small rockets and the commercialization of space.<\/p>\n
SaxaVord received permission from UK aviation regulators in December 2023 to begin orbital launches this year. It is allowed up to 30 annually to take satellites and other payload.<\/p>\n
The first attempt to launch satellites from UK soil failed in January last year when a rocket failed to enter orbit after discharging from a Virgin Orbit Boeing 747.<\/p>\n
The attempt took place at Cornwall Spaceport in southwest England, where rockets are carried by aircraft and launch horizontally.<\/p>\n
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