The founder and chief executive of SaxaVord Spaceport has died aged 67 after a short battle with cancer.
Frank Strang, who founded the UK’s first spaceport on the Lamba Ness peninsula on Unst, Shetland, died on Tuesday.
It was back in 2017 where Mr Strang began to campaign for a commercial spaceport in Shetland.
Alongside his partners Scott Hammond and Debbie Strang, the founder assembled a team which turned SavaVord from a basic blueprint into a reality.
Known for his long hair and cowboy boots, Mr Strang’s colleagues remembered his drive and determination that helped SaxaVord overcome seemingly impossible odds to become the UK’s first fully licensed vertical launch spaceport, complete with launch stool, integration hangar and tracking and telemetry system.
Mr Hammond, who is expected to take over as chief executive, said: “I have been a friend and colleague of Frank since our days together in the RAF, so his death so young is an enormous blow both personally and professionally.
“When we first identified the prospects for a spaceport at Lamba Ness in Unst, Frank would not take no for an answer and broke through barriers that would have deterred lesser people.
“He was a real force of nature, and his vision and his grit got us to where we are today, bringing the Unst and Shetland communities, investors and government with us.
“But our mission is not complete – my job now is to deliver not only the first launch but successive launches that establish the UK as Europe’s leader in access to space.
“Both myself and the SaxaVord team feel a strong sense of responsibility to deliver that goal for Frank, and we will, I am in no doubt.
“We are determined to make the UK Europe’s leader in vertical launch spaceflight. That will be Frank’s legacy, for Shetland, for Scotland and the UK.”
