Update: RFA has submitted its application for the marine license for Test Flight 1 from @SaxaVord_Space. For the first time, the application also specifies a potential launch window, which will open NET (no earlier than) July 1, 2026. This is a legally required step for planning, and a good sign of how far we’ve come - but it’s not a launch date just yet. We applied for this window because we’re working hard to be ready - and we’re getting closer every day. So: the application means we’re entering a new phase of preparation. Still, as with any first-ever launch, there are uncertainties, and the schedule may evolve. Further specific details around launch timing will be released through the appropriate channels closer to the time. We’ll keep you posted! 🚀

🇬🇧 The UK is sending a robot into orbit to take out the trash. The £61M Active Debris Removal mission will grab 2 dead British satellites and drag them down into the atmosphere, where they’ll burn up on the way. It’s set to launch from Scotland’s SaxaVord spaceport in 2029, the first mission of its kind. We’ve spent 70 years littering space, so it’s about time someone grabbed a broom 😆 Source: @SkyNews / Writer: Julie

UK Prime Minister @andyburnham and German Chancellor @_FriedrichMerz agreed to deepen their strategic partnership, particularly in #Aerospace# and especially regarding the #SaxaVord# spaceport:

Continued UK support for RFA ONE: we've received €2.7M from the @spacegovuk through the @esa Boost! programme. The funding backs preparations for our first test flight at @SaxaVord_Space and new engine and stage test capabilities in the UK. #RFAONE# #ESAboost# #UKSpace# #NewSpace#

🚀 A major milestone on the road to RFA ONE’s orbital test flight! We have delivered the first and second stages of our RFA ONE launch vehicle to @SaxaVord_Space in Scotland. This marks an important step as we move toward our first orbital launch, currently planned for summer 2026. Over the past 18 months, our teams have advanced the development of both stages, with improvements to the Helix engine, tank pressurization systems, and operating procedures. The causes of the incident during a hot fire test in August 2024 have been fully understood and resolved. The newly built first stage was tested in Augsburg and has arrived in early February at the launch site, where it will be integrated with its nine Helix engines, currently undergoing final acceptance testing at @SSCspace, Sweden. Our second stage, following a successful hot fire test campaign at Esrange Space Center, has now also safely arrived at SaxaVord and is undergoing final checks. There is still work ahead, but reaching this point is a significant achievement for the entire team. With both stages now at the spaceport, the next phase begins: vehicle integration and stage testing ahead of the first launch campaign this summer! Learn more in our press release ▶️

Technical Update! The past few weeks and months have been very busy at RFA. Everything is being prepared for the next first stage hot fire, and great progress has been made on our launch pad and at @SaxaVord_Space. Let´s take a closer look: 🔹Most visible and impressive: the umbilical tower is up. 52m high from the ground, fully equipped with clamps to stabilize and fuel our RFA ONE. The rest of the launch pad has also been completed – only the water tanks for the water deluge system will be added. We have begun commissioning the launch pad for the first test flight and expect to conduct some important tests on the pad in the coming weeks! 🔹The launch control centre is complete and fully equipped. It consists of the Mission Control Centre (MCC) and the Range Control Centre (RCC). From here, about 5 km from the launch site, the team will conduct and monitor the launch. 🔹SaxaVord Spaceport has completed its AIT hangar and we were welcomed to move in. This is a multifunctional hall for assembly, integration and testing (AIT) that we will use for the final work and integration of the rocket stages. There is also a clean room for our customers, which provides them with optimal conditions on site and access to their payloads for as long as possible. In short: everything is more ready than ever to receive a new first stage... 🚀

Britain's $81 million plan to clean up space The UK Space Agency has selected aerospace company ClearSpace UK to develop a spacecraft specifically designed to remove dead satellites from orbit. The contract is valued at approximately $81 million. The project is part of Britain's Active Debris Removal mission, known as UK ADR. The spacecraft is targeted for launch in 2029 from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland's Shetland Islands.