Hide/Show Archive Navigation.

All News

June 28, 2020

New US-UK Agreement Boosts UK’s Spaceport Plans

New Agreement Paves The Way For US Companies To Operate From UK Spaceports

UK Ambassador Dame Karen Pierce and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-proliferation, Christopher Ford, signed the US-UK Technology Safeguards Agreement, which will enable U.S. companies to participate in space launches from the United Kingdom. The Agreement means US space and technology companies throughout the supply chain can contribute to and benefit from the commercial opportunities offered by the UK space sector which already employs 42,000 people and generates an income of £14.8 billion each year.

Major Structural Components Are Still To Be Added

The wing and cockpit sections of NASA’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) are coming together at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works factory in Palmdale, California. Major structural components still to be added include the long, forward nose and rear section – known as the empennage – that includes the tail and single jet engine. Nearby, although not seen in this picture, Lockheed Martin technicians and engineers are completing other assembly tasks, with fabricating the composite wing skins with the help of a sophisticated robot already done.