A new rocket-testing facility, dubbed the MachLab, has just opened its doors near the tiny town of Campbeltown, hoping to speed up the development of innovative engines for small rockets<\/a>. For years now, the U.K. has been working toward establishing itself as Europe’s gateway to space.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n A January 2023 attempt to fly an air-launched Virgin Orbit rocket from a site in Cornwall failed<\/a>, helping lead to the company’s collapse<\/a>. But several companies, including the U.K.’s homegrown Orbex and Germany’s Rocket Factory Augsburg<\/a>, are now positioned to begin launching vertical rockets from the SaxaVord site in the Shetland Islands, off the northern coast of Scotland, within a year.<\/p>\n The MachLab, overseen by the University of Glasgow, received around \u00a3500,000 (about $670,000 U.S.) in funding from the U.K. government and industry to help aid this endeavor.<\/p>\n “MachLab is ready to play a key role in the U.K.’s strategy to return to vertical launch, ensuring that students and researchers can access hotfire facilities in a safe and controlled environment,” Professor Patrick Harkness, of the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering, said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n MachLab – Scotland’s Propulsion Test Facility – YouTube Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n “MachLab will allow us to cooperate with other countries establishing or reestablishing their access to space,” Harkness added. “We have already had visitors from South Africa, and we expect to welcome partners from Australia in the near future.”<\/p>\n The facility is located on the site of the former RAF Machrahanish airbase, which housed U.S. nuclear weapons<\/a> during the Cold War era.<\/p>\n
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