A rocket engine has exploded at a spaceport in Scotland.
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), a German-based aerospace start-up, has said it will return to regular operations “as soon as possible” after one of its vessels failed during a test at the SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands.
The spacecraft company announced that on Monday at 9:42 p.m., one of its rockets had been launched, but an “anomaly” had led to “the loss of the stage.”
Nobody was injured during the incident on Unst, the most northern of the Shetland Islands and home to around 650 people.
The scheduled nine-engine test was part of numerous trials being carried out before RFA progressed to a full launch.
BBC footage showed a large explosion at the site sending plumes of fire and smoke into the air.
A spokesperson for RFA said: “On Monday evening, RFA conducted a hot fire of its first stage at their launch site at SaxaVord Spaceport. This resulted in an anomaly that led to the loss of the stage. No-one was injured in the process.
“The launch pad has been saved and is secured, the situation is under control, and any immediate danger has been mitigated.”
RFA says it is now working with the spaceport and the authorities to find out what led to the incident saying that they company develops “iteratively with an emphasis on real testing.”
“This is part of our philosophy and we were aware of the higher risks attached to this approach. Our goal is to return to regular operations as soon as possible,” the company added.
“We will keep you updated on our channels. Until then we kindly ask for your patience.”
A spokesperson for SaxaVord said: “This was a test, and test campaigns are designed to identify issues prior to the next stage.
“We will work with RFA to understand and learn from the causes and support them as they move forward to the next phase of their preparations.”
Last year, SaxaVord became the UK’s first licensed vertical rocket site after the Civil Aviation Authority granted permission for up to 30 satellites and other payloads to be launched into commercially valuable polar, sun-synchronous orbits.
The space market is forecast to be worth over a trillion dollars by 2030 as companies across the globe move to launch thousands of internet-beaming satellites into orbit.
