Good progress made on building ‘floating’ road to Sutherland Spaceport site
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Good progress is being made on the construction of an access road to Sutherland Spaceport, according to developer Orbex.
More than 600 metres of “floating road” have now been installed along with the first bridge over a watercourse.
An Orbex spokesperson said: “With over 600 metres of road already completed, it won’t be long before it facilitates the movement of the launch vehicle and its payload to the launch pad.”
The multi-million pound Sutherland Spaceport is being built on a remote site at the A’Mhoine peninsula, west of Tongue on the north coast.
The new access road to the development runs north-west from the A838, the main north coast road.
The road is being built on peat and has been designed to allow the hydrology of the peat bog to continue underneath it, ensuring there is no disturbance to the ecological system.
“A geogrid is laid and stone is placed on top of it until the peat underneath becomes compressed. At that point it becomes a hydraulic platform that supports the weight of the road and any traffic that uses it,” said the spokesperson.
Orbex also recently welcomed a team from Openreach - contractors for cable installation - to the site.
The spokesperson continued: “Looking ahead, the momentum at Sutherland Spaceport shows no sign of slowing. Over the coming months our focus will be on the continued construction of the floating road that will link the launch service integration facility and the launch pad locations together.
“We are also gearing up to begin the construction of the launch pad area, getting ever closer to delivering our mission to launch satellites into orbit direct from Scotland.”
It was announced in November 2022 that rocket manufacturer and launch services provider Orbex would build and operate Sutherland Spaceport.
