Those assets include Orbex’s unfinished spaceport at Sutherland where work was stopped in 2024.
“Skyrora believes that securing select assets is vital to preserving UK space capability, protecting national critical infrastructure and ensuring that technology and IP developed in the UK remains under UK ownership,” the firm said.
Orbex, founded in 2015, was developing Prime (pictured), a small launch vehicle.
“Disappointing doesn’t come close to describing how we feel about this moment. We have been successfully developing a sustainable, world-class sovereign space launch capability for the UK and were on the cusp of our first test flights later this year,” said Orbex CEO Phil Chambers.
The company raised £102m plus £20m in UK government grants and €35m from the European Space Agency.
Investors included the Scottish National Investment Bank Octopus Ventures, BGF, Heartcore Capital, High-Tech Gründerfonds, the Export & Investment Fund of Denmark and Sohaib Abbasi.
Lockheed Martin was to have shared the Sutherland launch site but decided to use the SaxaVord spaceport in the Shetland Isles instead.
The Exploration Company of Munich talked to Orbex about acquiring it last year but nothing was agreed.
