SaxaVord Spaceport Permanent Airspace Reservation

Overview

Shetland Space Centre Limited (trading and hereinafter referred to as “SaxaVord Spaceport” or “SaxaVord”) seeks to conduct vertical launch operations for orbital and sub-orbital activities from SaxaVord Spaceport on Lamba Ness, Unst, Shetland Islands. 

A suitable permanent airspace reservation of defined dimensions is required to ensure the safety of other airspace users from SaxaVord launch activities and to ensure the safety of SaxaVord launch activities from other airspace users.  The proposed permanent airspace reservation would be activated for the minimum specified periods necessary to support nominated launch operations and would extend from surface (SFC) to unlimited (UNLTD). 

SaxaVord Spaceport, therefore, seeks aviation and non-aviation stakeholders’ feedback and comments to inform the finalisation of the airspace design to support the corresponding airspace reservation ACP application. 

SaxaVord’s application for this airspace change (ACP-2017-079) may be viewed on the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA’s) ACP portal.

Why your views matter

If the overall airspace change process is to function correctly, SaxaVord acknowledges that it is crucial that consultation is open, fair, transparent and effective.  Similarly, stakeholders must also have confidence that the CAA is holding the change sponsor accountable, both for the way the sponsor acts on the responses it receives and for providing timely feedback on those responses.

The purpose of this consultation period is to provide all stakeholders with the opportunity to comment on the proposed permanent airspace design option. 

What happens next