Rocket launch pad on the Shetland Islands

Ostseestaal builds rocket launch pad on the Shetland Islands
Expertise from Stralsund in demand in the international space race

Stralsund, Ostseestaal completes construction site at the most northerly point in the UK, leaving delighted customers in its wake. The launch pad and launch table were fully completed by the end of 2022. This makes the RFA launch pad the first for vertical orbital rocket launches in the UK and mainland Europe. In future, the launch pad will not only be used for orbital launches, but also for testing and qualification. The first launch will be into a 500 km high sun-synchronous orbit.

The commercial spaceport on the Shetland Islands is the ideal location to launch payloads into polar and sun-synchronous orbits at high cadence. The available logistics and speed of realisation, as well as the right mentality, were the main factors why RFA chose to partner with Ostseestaal as the subcontractor for the build. The installation of the entire system took place in December and was completed on time despite extreme and adverse weather conditions. A big thank you also goes to our partners at HAB.

Facts & Figures

Link To the RFA press release