The explosion of a rocket during engine tests in Shetland came as a shock to many observers.
But bosses at Britain’s most northerly spaceport said yesterday the costly fireball had been “fully anticipated”.
The nine-engine “static fire” test scheduled for Monday afternoon at SaxaVord in Shetland ended with the rocket section engulfed in flames.
An investigation has now been launched to identify what caused the “anomaly” that led to the “loss of the stage”.
A spokesman for the spaceport, which is based on the island of Unst, said last night it was “a fully expected part of operations in space” and “will not set us back”.
Testing at the SaxaVord spaceport in Shetland resulted in a dramatic explosion
SaxaVord is the UK’s newest spaceport based in Haroldswick on Unst, Shetland.
He said SaxaVord and German aerospace company Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), which carried out the ground ignition test, were “two extremely resilient companies” and that after an investigation into the cause of the explosion, they “will be ready to move on to the next stage.”
RFA said it was too early to say why the test failed and that “we will first have to analyse the data ourselves and define the next steps.”
A local resident, who witnessed the explosion on the launch pad, described it as “quite a spectacle” as flames and plumes of black smoke could be seen swirling around the rocket, which was destroyed within minutes.
Many others on the remote island, which has a population of fewer than 650, did not realise what had happened until the following morning.
The German aerospace company confirmed that no one was injured during the test and said it intends to “return to normal operations as soon as possible.”
He said the launch pad had been “saved and secured” and that “any immediate danger had been mitigated.”
The failed test comes just three months after an initial test was deemed a success when RFA fired its rocket engines for eight seconds.
A spokesman said: ‘We are now working closely with SaxaVord Spaceport and the authorities to gather data and information to finally resolve what happened.
‘We will take our time to analyse and assess the situation. We develop the project iteratively, with an emphasis on real-world testing.
“This is part of our philosophy and we were aware of the greater risks associated with this approach.”
SaxaVord is the UK’s newest spaceport, based in Haroldswick on Unst, after it received regulatory approval to launch rockets in December last year.
In early 2023, during excavation work at the site, the remains of what was believed to have been a Bronze Age ritual cremation cemetery were discovered.
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