A rocket engine exploded during a test fire at new UK spaceport, SaxaVord in Shetland, Scotland, on 19 August.
The explosion was caused by an as yet unknown ‘anomaly’ during a nine-engine hot-fire test – where a fully integrated rocket is held in position while it fires all its engines – of a rocket built by German spaceflight company Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA).
In accordance with safety protocols, the site had been evacuated prior to the test.
“No one was injured in the process,” said RFA in a statement released after the explosion. “The launchpad has been saved and is secured, the situation is under control, and any immediate danger has been mitigated.”
As of writing, the cause of the anomaly was still to be determined
SaxaVord, the Scottish spaceport
SaxaVord is a vertical launch spaceport located on the remote Scottish island of Unst, built on the site of a former RAF radar station.
In December 2023, the site was granted a licence to host up to 30 launches a year, making it the first fully licensed vertical launch spaceport in Western Europe.
The site is part of the UK government's efforts to grow space industry, helping to grow this burgeoning industry.
There is another spaceport in the UK, Spaceport Cornwall located at Newquay Airport, however this is only able to host horizontal launches.
This sister site has had its own share of troubles, as the first launch from Spaceport Cornwall in January 2023 resulted in a premature shut down of the rocket.
Rocket tests at Saxavord spaceport
In the case of SaxaVord, however, such failures are not unexpected, as the facility is not only a launch site, but a place where growing spaceflight companies can assess their new hardware extensive testing campaign needed before launch.
“These tests are designed to identify faults and issues prior to a full test flight campaign and are all carried out in a highly controlled and regulated environment,” said Frank Strang, SaxaVord spaceport’s CEO, in a statement after the rocket exploded.
While many of these tests are conducted with little incident, occasionally they uncover an issue. Sometimes, as was the case here, these issues have explosive consequences.
“Space is a high risk/ high reward sector and there will be lots of highs and lows in all our journeys,” said Strang. “This anomaly was inevitable and there will be more. As long as we do our jobs to the best of our ability then they will be resolved, we will all learn and SaxaVod Spaceport and the space economy will grow.
“Followers of SpaceX will know that in their early days they had several ‘moments’ resulting in damage to both launch pads and launch vehicles but now with over 90 launches last year they have proven that space transportation is as reliable and safe as any other form of transport.”
