No launches from SaxaVord Spaceport during Unst Show or Norwick Up Helly Aa

The Shetland Space Centre issued an announcement recently that no scheduled launch events will be held during the Unst Show in August and the Norwick Up Helly Aa festival held in February. The announcement assured the public that Shetland Space Centre would publish the upcoming launch event ahead of time and issue a public statement if any changes are made. This statement comes ahead of the upcoming Unst Show and Viking festival held every year. The festivals gather a sizable audience, so Shetland Space Centre HQ felt responsible for assuring the public that there would be no disruption on their end.

SaxaVord spaceport future launches gather a lot of attention

The Shetland community has had a turbulent time accepting the construction of the SaxaVord Spaceport but have since come around to the idea. The team engaged with the Shetland Islands Council, Unst Community Council, and the Scottish Rights of Way ahead of submitting its access plan detailing the construction of the spaceport. Construction will be held over three phases, each phase lasting roughly six months.

The SaxaVord Spaceport is expected to gather a lot of attention from tourists once constructed. Representatives of Shetland Space Centre have assured the community that they will take precautions to ensure the safety of visiting parties. Once the spaceport becomes operational, access will be restricted based on the activity taking place.

Shetland Space Centre taking precautions to ensure community safety during operations

It will take some time for SaxaVord spaceport to become operational, but once complete, access to the public will be limited. The security team has designed three restrictions ‘signals’ to correspond to the type of operation currently held. A green signal will indicate that the site is available to the public; an amber signal will limit the site to authorised personnel only; a red signal will prohibit entry to anyone. According to the Shetland Space Centre report, the procedures are aimed at maximum public safety.