Sutherland Spaceport – Community Liaison Group
27 October 2026
Meeting Notes
Generated by AI from meeting transcript.
Edited and checked for accuracy by David Howie.
Present: Online:
CLG - Frances Gunn, Trudy Morris., Kirsteen Mackay, Dorothy Pritchard, Bea Ayling, Tim Curtis
HIE – Claire Wilson, Peter Guthrie, Chantal Geyer, David Howie
1. Introductions
David introduced Chantal Geyer who will be joining the HIE project team for Sutherland Spaceport.
2. Update on HIE’s purchase of spaceport assets
David: HIE has acquired the Spaceport assets and sublease after Orbex’s insolvency. Noted that this secures the site for future development. Planning permission is in place but spaceport licences are not.
Asset Acquisition: HIE completed the purchase of the Spaceport assets through HIE Caithness and Sutherland - a dormant subsidiary of HIE -because HIE could not directly take on its own sublease. The arrangement secures control of the site and its future development.
Existing Infrastructure: Much of the difficult groundwork has already been completed, including the access road and hard-standing area at the launch-site integration facility. The road currently ends approximately 260 metres short of the launch pad site.
Licensing Documentation: Orbex’s Spaceport licence applications were paused in December 2024, and the licences are not currently in place. As part of the asset purchase, HIE obtained the documentation prepared for the applications and has begun reviewing it.
Related Orbex Assets: The Kinloss testing site has been sold to another rocket company, subject to final work with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation. Orbex’s
manufacturing facility at Forres has been sold to Omnidea, a Portuguese space company interested in carbon-fibre components and some Orbex intellectual property; Omnidea may also consider launching from Sutherland in the longer term.
3. Update on space sector interest in Sutherland
Peter and David: Sustained interest in Sutherland from launch companies and organisations exploring in-space manufacturing, logistics, ground stations, research, education, UAV testing and other activities was reported, supporting a multi-user economic model.
Market Drivers: Peter: European access to launch services has become more constrained since the project began: Russian launch vehicles are no longer routinely available to European customers, United States launch capacity is busy, and European launch services remain limited and expensive. These conditions are increasing interest in additional European launch locations.
Potential Uses: Inquiries have covered returning materials from space, manufacturing products in orbit, drone and range-service testing, ground stations, research, education, logistics and both suborbital and orbital launch. These inquiries are at different stages and do not yet represent confirmed projects or timetables.
Regional Supply Chain: Leap Space has indicated that it needs technicians and people able to fabricate and assemble equipment, rather than relying only on specialist rocket engineers. This might create opportunities for existing engineering and fabrication capabilities in Caithness and the wider Highlands.
Economic Model: David and Peter: The site should not depend on one launch customer as it did under the Orbex model. A diverse set of users and income streams could reduce reliance on a single company and support wider employment through vehicle preparation, payload processing, manufacturing and downstream space activities.
4. HIE’s plans for the site
4.1. Short-term
Minimum Operating Condition: David: HIE plans to establish a minimum operating condition for smaller suborbital launches before pursuing development of the full facility, and has signed an agreement with US company Leap Space to explore a potential sub-orbital launch from the Moine in summer 2027.
Funding Constraint: David: HIE cannot finance completion of the full Spaceport facility on its own. Substantial private-sector or national-government investment would be needed, and that funding is not currently secured.
Phased Development: The proposed minimum operating condition would support launch of smaller suborbital vehicles from the completed hard-standing area, rather than the larger orbital vehicles previously envisaged. This approach would create operational activity at the site while allowing HIE to assess users, investment needs and future design requirements incrementally.
Leap Space Agreement: HIE signed a memorandum of understanding with Leap Space on 24 September. The US company, based in Denver, has successfully launched twice from US locations and is developing small vehicles initially for suborbital flights, with an eventual aim of orbital capability.
Proposed Launch: LEAP and HIE are working towards a potential suborbital flight in summer 2027, reaching approximately 47 kilometres. The proposed activity would be regulated through an air navigation order rather than the more extensive Space Industry Act regime, and HIE is already engaging with the Civil Aviation Authority.
4.2. Longer term
Following any initial launch, HIE intends to review the site’s longer-term configuration, pursue Spaceport and vehicle licensing in parallel, secure further investment and identify a long-term operator. HIE is a development agency not a Space Agency.
5. Q&A
5.1. Initial questions
Planning Consent: David (responding to Bea’s question): The proposed initial suborbital activity is likely to fall within the scope of the existing planning permission and environmental impact assessment because the vehicles would be smaller and less impactful than those originally assessed. HIE will confirm this with Highland Council, while alternative future uses may require further planning discussions or variations.
Environmental Assessment: Peter: The original environmental impact assessment considered a reasonable worst case involving a kerosene-type propellant and liquid oxygen. The vehicles currently being considered are expected to be cleaner, but HIE will assess each proposal against the existing assessment and planning conditions.
Transport Management: David: Substantial construction is not planned immediately. If later investment enables completion of the site, construction would be subject to the relevant planning conditions, including updating and implementing the construction transport management plan prepared during the earlier development.
Fuel And Environmental Impact: Most interested launch companies are considering hydrocarbon fuels with liquid oxygen. Leap Space proposes ethane and liquid oxygen, broadly similar to the fuel approach previously considered for Orbex. Any company proposing more unusual fuels would require a detailed environmental assessment, and unsuitable proposals would not be progressed.
Community Benefits: David: HIE’s immediate priority is to establish a viable project before defining community benefits. More users and activities could create greater local benefits, but the precise scale and form will depend on which users and investment are secured.
5.2. Round table
Frances and the group: Clearer public information and renewed engagement were requested because the proposed multi-use Spaceport differs from the former Orbex plan. David: Agreed to organise further engagement, restore a public information contact and continue quarterly liaison meetings.
Community Open Day: Frances: The community would need a renewed explanation of the project because the proposed multi-user and suborbital approach differs substantially from the previous Orbex plan, particularly regarding local employment and other impacts. David: Agreed that HIE would seek to hold an engagement event in early 2027, potentially with Leap Space representatives, subject to greater clarity about the launch campaign.
Public Information Point: Kirsteen: Asked whether there could be a single website or other public contact point for information, so that people outside the liaison group could obtain reliable updates. David: Agreed to take this forward with Claire and the area team and to restore a single source of information.
6. Future CLGs
Liaison Group Meetings: David confirmed that community liaison meetings remain required under the original planning arrangements. HIE will provide the secretariat and organise meetings, with quarterly meetings considered appropriate and additional meetings available if a specific issue requires them.
Meeting Format: The group preferred face-to-face meetings where possible, potentially supported by online attendance from the Kyle Centre. Meetings should remain in the evening because some representatives, including education and other sector participants, may not be available during working hours.
Membership Renewal: Frances noted that representatives have left since the Spaceport entered abeyance, including school and tourism-related participants. Frances will contact the previously involved organisations and ask them to review or
nominate their representatives so that the liaison group can return to fuller membership.
7.
Actions Arising
Community Representation: Contact the groups previously involved with the Spaceport and confirm whether they will retain or nominate representatives for the Community Liaison Group. - Frances
Public Information: Establish a single public-facing point of contact for accurate Spaceport information, coordinating with Claire and the area team. - David
Community Engagement: Arrange an in-person community open day or consultation with Leap Space to explain the revised multi-use Spaceport proposal and address questions about local employment and community benefits. - David
Liaison Group Meetings: Prepare and circulate a schedule for quarterly Community Liaison Group meetings, retaining evening sessions and allowing extraordinary meetings or online participation when required. - David
Planning Compliance: Confirm with Highland Council whether the proposed suborbital launch and any future alternative uses are covered by the existing planning permission and environmental assessment, and identify any required variations. - David