The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Space jobs countdown
Hundreds of Shetland jobs are expected to be created after the UK Government announced it will approve development of a spaceport to send small satellites into orbit from the island of Unst.
The decision follows confirmation US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin intends to operate from the planned facility there, instead of the proposed £17.3 million vertical launch base in Sutherland.
Shetland Space Centre ( SCC) has predicted 140 jobs will be created on Unst, a further 210 elsewhere in the islands and 255 in other parts of Scotland, if the facility achieves its target of 30 launches a year by 2024. It also forecast associated manufacturing activity and its own data and support services would create work for a further 150 people.
Shetland Islands Council leader Steven Coutts said: “This is tremendous news for Unst and for Shetland and puts the isles in the forefront of this growing global industry.”
Orkney and Shetland MP Alastair Carmichael added: “After a challenging year the prospect of new, highquality jobs in the isles has
to be welcomed and is a confirmation of the faith those behind Shetland Space Centre have put in its location.”
Lockheed Martin previously planned to use the proposed Space Hub Sutherland facility, near Tongue, for its multimillion-pound UK Pathfinder launch programme. It was one of two firms, along with
For re s-based Orbex, announced as users when plans for development of the site, led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), were announced in 2018.
The UK Space Agency has said it will fully support the Sutherland project through grant funding to HIE and Orbex.
SCC chief executive Frank Strang said: “The
benefits for Shetland, Scotland and the UK of Path finder and the additional launch projects we’ re working on, in terms of skilled jobs, are evident.
“As well as launch, we aim to offer services including telemetry, tracking and navigation, space situational awareness and data download and storage.”
He added: “This is a significant moment and we intend to succeed in this new space race. The sky is no longer the limit.”
Ivan McKee, Scottish Government minister for trade, investment and innovation, said: “This will provide an economic boost not only to the Shetland Isles but also maximise the commercial opportunity across the wider region.”