A rocket has exploded during a hot fire test at Scotland’s new spaceport on Shetland. The test was being conducted by German company Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) at the SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Isles on Monday night. The firm is aiming to launch the UK's first vertical rocket into orbit.
Footage that emerged of the incident showing giant flames and plumes of smoke soaring horizontally from the rocket’s base, before the entire structure went up in fire. The entire structure was then engulfed by fire. RFA said it would return to regular operations “as soon as possible” after the rocket failed during the test.
The company said no-one was injured during the incident, and claimed the launch pad had been "saved and is secured". On Monday at 9.42pm, Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) announced one of its spacecraft had been launched as part of a test at SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Isles, but an “anomaly” led to “the loss of the stage”.
A spokesperson for RFA said: “On Monday evening, RFA [Rocket Factory Augsburg] conducted a hot fire of its first stage at their launch site at SaxaVord Spaceport. “This resulted in an anomaly that led to the loss of the stage. No-one was injured in the process.
“The launch pad has been saved and is secured, the situation is under control, and any immediate danger has been mitigated.” RFA says it is now working with the spaceport and the authorities to find out what led to the incident. The RFA spokesperson added: �.