Shetland Islands Council is in Possession of the Final Shetland Space Centre Plans

The Shetland Island Council now has the final Shetland Space Centre plans submitted for approval. It’s a significant step forward for the ambitious project that wants to establish a launch site in Unst. If approved, the Shetland Space Centre will transform the area’s local economy while creating hundreds of new jobs for locals. 

Another plus for this facility is rejuvenating the local economy. Given its sheer magnitude, the Shetland Space Centre will bring more businesses and manufacturing facilities to the Unst island and its surroundings. You can find more about the benefits of the Shetland spaceport or local economy here.

What do these SCC plans include?

The plans contain 3 interconnected applications for the various infrastructure construction sites. One of these plans’ critical parts is the launching site to be set up at Lamba Ness. Also, the intention is to build 3 separate launching pads together with the necessary infrastructure objects to support the main ones. 

The proposal is to have a facility where satellite tracking takes place, plus another for integration and storage hangars. These plans also include the arrangement of the control centre at the RAF Saxa Vord former facilities. 

The SSC is also planning to use the Ordale Airport complex at Baltasound to store rocket fuel. These plans also include rebuilding the transport infrastructure in and around the location. 

Another Significant Point of the Shetland Space Centre Plans

Given the impact this facility will have on the local environment, part of the plan includes creating a wildlife hide. Its location will be Lamba Ness, and it will attract numerous visitors to enjoy orca and bird watching. 

Besides, these plans are on the right track since they’ve undergone a thorough environmental impact assessment. The part of the EIAR (Environmental Impact Assessment Report) shows the facility will have minimal effect on local wildlife. The area has numerous bird species, but they won’t experience any impact except the breeding mentioned in Schedule 1. These might endure a few disturbances but not on a significant scale. 

As for noise pollution, while the rockets launch, the EIAR report concludes that it won’t be a worrying factor. Rocket launches at the Shetland Space Centre will take little time hence not producing too much noise that might disturb the residents.