Delight as SaxaVord Spaceport officially declared open

The SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst has been officially declared ready for take-off after an opening ceremony today (Wednesday).

A formal ribbon-cutting at the entrance to the site was carried out by SaxaVord’s US space educator Mike Mongo and schoolchildren Grace Wood, 10, and Harry Brazier, seven.

It comes with the first vertical launch scheduled for later this year.

Spaceport staff and invited guests basked in the summer sunshine as the site was officially opened, and SaxaVord chief executive Frank Strang said it had been a “long hard journey” to get to this point.

“Thanks only to the enormous amount of hard work put in by every member of my team, we are there – and this opening event is really about thanking them and those people who have believed in us and supported our vision along the way.

“It is very fitting that Mike, our space educator and astronaut designate, along with Grace and Harry have declared SaxaVord Spaceport formally open for business as we are building a legacy for the future and the future is about the children.”

Grace said she would “never forget” playing such a big part in the spaceport’s opening, while Harry said he “can’t wait to see the first rocket launch”.

Mr Strang also thanked the SIC, who he said had “bought into the dream from the start”.