A Colorado rocket manufacturer has agreed to work with the owner of the mothballed Sutherland Spaceport to develop plans for the site, saying the Highland site could become its first launch facility outside the United States.
The agreement between Leap and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which owns the peatland site near Tongue, was welcomed by the agency and Economy Secretary Stephen Flynn. Leap said the spaceport could potentially be used for launching small satellites for customers in the UK and mainland Europe.
Little work has been done at the site after Moray-based rocket firm Orbex put construction on hold in 2024. Orbex later collapsed and its assets were sold off.
Leap chief executive Chris Beckman said: "We're not just building a rocket. We're building a global logistics network, and a network needs launch sites wherever customers require them. Sutherland is an ideal starting point for a network that begins in Europe, and HIE shares our ambition to make recurring spaceflight from Scotland real."
Leap is designing rockets that could be mass produced in factories. The site sits on Melness Crofters Estate, an area of small-scale farms on the A' Mhoine Peninsula in Sutherland in the north-west Highlands. Estate chairwoman Dorothy Pritchard said: "We believe their presence here will be an important step towards establishing a thriving and sustainable spaceport that can bring long-term benefits to Sutherland and the UK's growing space industry. Alongside other UK launch sites, both developed and emerging, an operational Sutherland Spaceport will become an integral part of a resilient and diverse UK launch ecosystem, securing the UK position within the global space economy, something we welcome and support. Melness Crofters Estate looks forward to seeing the spaceport become a driver of economic opportunity."
Last month, the UK and German governments said they planned to use another Scottish spaceport, SaxaVord in Shetland, as part of increased co-operation between the two countries.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The revival of Sutherland Spaceport would give the UK another potential launch site and a new option for small satellite launches serving British and European customers.
- The site's future has been uncertain since Orbex halted construction in 2024, so the agreement with Leap is a sign the stalled project may move forward.
- A working spaceport could bring long-term economic benefits to Sutherland and the Highlands, which the estate said could become part of a resilient UK launch ecosystem.
Background
Sutherland Spaceport is a proposed launch site on the A' Mhoine Peninsula in Sutherland, originally to be developed by Moray-based rocket firm Orbex. Construction was put on hold in 2024, and the company later collapsed, leaving the site largely unused. The land is owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and sits within Melness Crofters Estate. Separately, the UK's first fully-licensed spaceport, SaxaVord in Shetland, has regulatory approval for up to 30 launches a year and was named last month as part of UK-German space co-operation.
Key Perspectives
Chris Beckman, chief executive of Leap: Says the company is building a global logistics network and Sutherland is "an ideal starting point for a network that begins in Europe".
Dorothy Pritchard, chairwoman of Melness Crofters Estate: Says Leap's potential presence is an important step towards a thriving spaceport that can bring long-term benefits to Sutherland and the UK's growing space industry.
HIE and Economy Secretary Stephen Flynn: Welcomed the agreement with Leap.
What to Watch
- Whether the agreement progresses to a formal takeover and development of the site.
- How Leap's plan to mass produce rockets in factories develops and whether Sutherland becomes its first launch site outside the US.
- The status of regulatory approvals and competition with SaxaVord for launch activity in Scotland.
