HIE acquires Orbex's failed Sutherland Spaceport assets
Orbex · Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Highlands and Islands Enterprise bought Sutherland Spaceport's assets out of liquidation, leaving the site's future launch use undecided.
what happened
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) acquired the assets of Sutherland Spaceport Ltd from joint liquidators on August 25, after the Orbex subsidiary entered compulsory liquidation in June following its parent's February administration, per HIE's own release and European Spaceflight. The 10.4-acre site on the A' Mhoine peninsula includes a 2.5km floating access road; no purchase price was disclosed. HIE said it will work with the local community and space-sector players to decide the site's future use.
why it matters
Sutherland was one of two UK vertical-launch site bids alongside SaxaVord and had already lost its anchor tenant when Orbex paused construction in December 2024; a state development agency buyout keeps the site from disappearing but commits it to no operator, leaving UK smallsat-launch capacity concentrated at SaxaVord for now.
for who
UK spaceport planners and smallsat-launch providers
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- Orbex, Highlands and Islands Enterprise
- Category
- financial
- Impact
- noise
- SNR
- 3 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-08-25
- Published
- 2026-08-28 17:30 UTC