How to build a spaceport

Around 250 kilometres off the north coast of Scotland, the Shetland isle of Unst is undergoing a dramatic renovation. On a peninsula flanked by giant cliffs and open ocean, builders are constructing a spaceport. They call the project SaxaVord. They say it could host the first-ever vertical rocket launches from Western Europe. It’s a bold objective that welcomes auspicious signs. One was discovered just this summer; another was already known when the team laid their founding stone.  &