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Kids officially open UK's first spaceport

Media caption,

UK's first spaceport opened by two local schoolchildren

The UK's first vertical spaceport is now officially open.

The SaxaVord spaceport is in Shetland.

Space-mad local children Grace and Harry helped to cut the ribbon at a special ceremony, which declares it ready to start launching rockets.

It follows the first successful engine test by German rocket company RFA.

What is the SaxaVord spaceport?

Image source, SaxaVord Spaceport
Image caption,

Both Grace and Harry were over the moon to have been chosen to take part in the opening ceremony

SaxaVord is a spaceport, which is like an airport but for rockets.

There are a few of them in the UK - there's one in Cornwall, and another on the Scottish mainland, but none have successfully launched anything into space yet.

SaxaVord hopes to be the first, and will be allowed to send up to 30 rockets a year.

These will be used to take things like satellites up into space.

Image source, RFA
Image caption,

People are hoping Saxavord could be the start of a thriving space industry in the UK

The first tests successfully took place there last week and it's hoped rockets will blast off for real later this summer.

SaxaVord Spaceport CEO Frank Strang said it's been "a long hard journey" to get to a point where they'd be ready to launch, but wanted to do something special to celebrate the hard work his team had put in to get there.

The UK has also invested 拢10 million in the project.

Image source, RFA
Image caption,

The first tests at the spaceport were a success, paving the way for lift off later this summer

SaxaVord鈥檚 US-based space educator Mike Mongo helped Grace and Harry open the site in Unst.

He said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great honour to join Grace and Harry 鈥 the future of the culture and industry of space 鈥 in formally opening SaxaVord Spaceport.

鈥淪axaVord has always been a leader, and now it is blazing the trail in Europe with a first vertical orbital launch just over the horizon 鈥 it鈥檚 an awesome achievement.鈥

Image source, SaxaVord Spaceport
Image caption,

Could Grace and Harry be the UK's next astronauts?

Grace said: 鈥淚 love space, and I have visited SaxaVord hundreds of times, so I was super excited to play such a big part in the opening. I鈥檒l never forget it.鈥

And Harry is excited to see the Spaceport's first rocket blast off into space: 鈥淚鈥檓 really chuffed to have been asked to do the ribbon-cutting on such an important day for the Spaceport. I can鈥檛 wait to see the first rocket launch.鈥