Skyrora, one of the UK’s most prominent space firms, is interested in buying the assets of Orbex after the rocket launch company announced it was going into administration.
The Scotland-headquartered Orbex launched in 2015 and planned to build a spaceport in Sutherland at the northern tip of Scotland. It was to be one of the first vertical launch capable spaceports in the UK and would have shared this capability with Lockheed Martin to bolster that firm’s space ambitions.
However, Lockheed Martin then moved its launch plans to a competing site, SaxaVord spaceport in the Shetland Isles. A series of successful funding rounds between 2022 and 2025 allowed it to continue development on its orbital rocket system, named Prime.
Munich-based firm The Exploration Company announced plans to acquire Orbex in 2025, but talks fell through this month, leading to the beginning of administration proceedings.
Skyrora, which designs and manufactures launch vehicles for small satellites, has now said it is...