Orbex in trouble?
July 4, 2025
Orbex has delayed its UK rocket launch to 2026 due to site and funding issues. SaxaVord, the launch site in Scotland, isn’t ready, and more financial support is said to be needed to lift off.
Orbital Express Launch, or Orbex, is a UK-based aerospace company that is developing a small commercial orbital rocket called Prime.It is headquartered in Forres, Moray, in Scotland and has subsidiaries in Denmark and Germany.
Back in January the UK government invested £20 million in Orbex as part of its Series D fundraising to build and launch a rocket from Scotland. Orbex announced the move on January 29th.
At the time it was said that the first launch would happen in “late 2025”. However, in a recent statement to UK parliamentarians Orbex said oorbexthat it would need a further £120 million in private funding over the next four years.
On July 2nd, Orbex announced a strategic five-year partnership with Exolaunch, a global leader in launch services, mission management, deployment systems and integration services for small satellites. The agreement will see Orbex and Exolaunch collaborate to provide end-to-end launch services for small satellites. Exolaunch will utilise launch capacity and integrate customer payloads with Orbex’s launch vehicles, Prime and the new medium-sized launcher, Proxima, while Orbex will benefit from Exolaunch’s deployment systems, rideshare structures and global market outreach.
In addition, Orbex will work with Exolaunch on future Orbex Prime and Proxima missions to address the growing demand for micro and cube satellite launch services.
Phil Chambers, CEO of Orbex, commented: “This is a truly exciting partnership that marks a significant milestone as we secure industry backing to accelerate the development of our new Proxima launch vehicle. It’s a clear signal of the growing demand for flexible and reliable launch services across Europe.”
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