Rocket launch deal signed for Unst space centre

A rocket company has signed a deal with a space launch facility planned for a Shetland island.

SaxaVord Spaceport is proposed for Unst, Scotland's most northerly inhabited island.

It is seen as a good location because of its clear airspace.

Skyrora, headquartered in Edinburgh, has agreed a multi-launch deal over the next decade. It hopes to send its 23-metre (75ft) rocket to deliver satellites into orbit from 2022.

SaxaVord Spaceport was originally called Shetland Space Centre but has been renamed.

Skyrora chief executive Volodymyr Levykin said: "We have made no secret of our ambition to be the first company to launch from UK soil so it's really exciting to agree to this multi-launch deal with SaxaVord.

"The UK is a world leader in space technology, and this latest move brings us another crucial step closer to offering a significant space service from our own soil."

Frank Strang of Saxavord Spaceport described it as an "exciting development".

Plans for the facility were officially submitted earlier this year.

It is claimed it could support hundreds of jobs.