The company which hopes to launch a space rocket from the northernmost edge of the UK is investigating an “issue” with the vehicle.
German company Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has chosen to “de-stack” its 30m-tall rocket, which is currently on a launchpad at SaxaVord Spaceport on the island of Unst.
This means the three stages of the rocket, which is currently fully assembled, will be unstacked in order to resolve the issue.
If the rocket, called RFA One, is launched successfully it would be the first time satellites have been carried into space from UK soil.
A certified launch window is due to open on August 10 and it is understood the company had hoped to begin “hot fire” testing of the rocket engines in the days ahead of this.
The three-stage rocket is designed to deliver a payload of up to 1,300kg to a sun-synchronous orbit around Earth.
A spokesperson for RFA said: “After a successful week of our test campaign pressuring the flight vehicle for the first time in preparation for the hot fire test of RFA One, an issue was encountered with the vehicle.
“We have made the decision to de-stack the vehicle in order to investigate and take corrective action where required.
“We will provide further updates as soon as confirmed information is available.”
SaxaVord Spaceport said in a statement: “As ever, we’re working hard to support our client RFS on the launch site.”
A previous version of RFA’s rocket suffered an engine fire which led to an explosion during a test at SaxaVord in August 2024.
