Shetland Space Centre run Public Consultation on video platform

Shetland Space Centre announced that the first set of plans for small rockets launch from Unst were to be made available during a public consultation last week. The consultation took place virtually using an online video platform.

Shetland Space Centre Changed the date due to Covid-19

Shetland Space Centre’s public application for the preplanning process took place online in what some may have seen as a way of avoiding any difficult questions. However, they stated that this was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The dates scheduled for this consultation were 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th of May. The consultation ran for four hours each day, between 4 pm and 8 pm and took on a Q&A format. There was no presentation.

The dates were brought forward by a week due to the lockdown measures placed by the Scottish government. This allowed more room for virtual communication instead of public gatherings.

Other Details of the Application

Shetland Space Centre is looking to get permission for the construction of a vertical launch spaceport. This will include a launchpad, various stations for tracking, and hangar constructions with the necessary security requirements.

They also want to build a control center at the Saxa Vord Resort. Therefore, it’s necessary to construct a road to provide access via the Northdale, located at the RAF base. Both of these plans will be part of the overall planning application that the Shetland Space Centre is set to submit.

Among people attending the online consultation, was their planning expert and a representative of Shetland Space Centre.