The new Labour government has shown its commitment to US military plans to build a new advanced radar complex for space warfighting in West Wales by confirming that it intends to continue with  plans for the project which were first unveiled by the former Conservative government. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that it […]

Update: This article was prepared before an explosion at SaxaVord Spaceport on 19 August 2024 during the test firing of an RFA One rocket.  An addendum about the accident and its implications for orbital launches from the UK is included at the bottom of the article. News that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has launched […]

To what ends might the United States Department of Defence have developed an unmanned,  highly-manoeuvrable ‘spaceplane’? Why have its lengthy missions – lasting as long as two and a half years – been so shrouded in secrecy?  And what are China’s intentions for its rival vehicle?  These questions and more underpin speculation around the dangers […]

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is currently considering airspace changes needed to allow Spaceport 1, one of no less than five spaceport developments proposed for Scotland, to commence operations. Spaceport 1 would be located at Scolpaig on the remote island of North Uist in the Hebrides, close to the Ministry of Defence's Hebrides rocket testing […]