SaxaVord Spotlight: Get to know DEBBIE STRANG
What is your job title?
Chief Operating Officer
What does a day in your life look like?
What is your favourite thing about SaxaVord?
What 3 words would you use to describe saxavord?
I spend quite a bit of time in the office or on virtual meetings on my laptop, but I also spend time travelling to different parts of the UK for meetings or conferences, helping to raise awareness about the spaceport.
I love that there is something so modern, so new, so important that now exists in the stunning and remote island of Unst, Shetland.
Exciting, Important, Thrilling
What does your job title mean?
It means I work with all the teams, I oversee the team members who work on education, sustainability and tourism.
What job did you think you'd be doing when you finished school?
It's a long time since I finished school and I wanted to join the Royal Air Force, which I did. I never imagined I would be one of the people that said 'let's build a spaceport' and then did.
Fun Questions
Fun Questions
What is your favourite space book, film or song?
The Toy Story films
If you were going to space what 3 things would you take?
Photos of my family, Yoga mat and my cat
Who is your biggest inspiration?
Amelia Earhart the first British woman to fly solo across the atlantic in 1932
Satellites and the Environment: Space Helping Earth
It’s a time to celebrate our amazing planet—and to think about how we can protect it. From forests and oceans to animals and air, there’s so much worth saving. But did you know that space is helping us do just that?
Let’s take a look at how satellites are helping scientists care for Earth—and how SaxaVord is part of that mission too!
What are satellites?
Satellites are machines that orbit (go around) the Earth. Some are as big as a bus, others as small as a shoebox! They take pictures, collect data, and send information back to scientists on the ground. Think of them as space scouts—keeping an eye on our planet from above.
How do satellites help the enviroment?
Satellites are like superheroes for the Earth. Here’s how they help:
🌳 Watching Forests
Satellites can spot when trees are being cut down or when wildfires break out. This helps protect animals and stop deforestation.
🌊 Monitoring Oceans
They track ocean temperatures, sea levels, and even plastic pollution. This helps scientists protect marine life like whales, turtles, and coral reefs.
🌦️ Tracking Weather and Climate
Satellites help us understand storms, droughts, and climate change. They give early warnings for hurricanes and help us prepare for natural disasters.
🐘 Protecting Wildlife
Some satellites track animals like elephants and polar bears. This helps conservationists keep them safe from harm.
🏙️ Cleaner Cities
Satellites can detect air pollution and heat in cities. This helps leaders make better choices for cleaner, greener living.
What Does This Have to Do with SaxaVord?
At SaxaVord Spaceport, we’re not just launching rockets—we’re launching ideas that help the planet.
We support missions that use satellites to:
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Protect nature 🌿
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Study climate change 🌡️
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Improve farming and food 🌾
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Keep people safe during disasters 🚨
By helping satellites get into space, SaxaVord is helping Earth too. Because space isn’t just about exploring the stars—it’s about taking care of the world we live on.
What Can We Learn from this?
The more we learn about Earth, the better we can protect it. Satellites give us a bird’s-eye view of our planet—and that view helps us make smarter, kinder choices.
So next time you look up at the sky, remember: space is helping Earth. And so can you.
Written by The Fredo Team
NATO Delegates Visit SaxaVord Spaceport After STARLIFT Summit!
Something amazing just happened right here at SaxaVord Spaceport!
A group of top delegates from NATO flew up to Unst to see what SaxaVord and its German rocket partner RFA are building – and it’s all to do with a big project called STARLIFT.
Wait - What's NATO?
NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It’s a group of 32 countries from Europe and North America that have agreed to work together to keep each other safe. If one NATO country is in danger, the others help out. It’s kind of like a team of superheroes—but with satellites, radars, and space tech instead of capes!
Why is NATO Visiting SaxaVord?
After two important days of meetings in Edinburgh, hosted by the UK’s Department for Science, Industry and Technology, the Ministry of Defence, and the UK Space Agency, the delegates came to the northernmost tip of the UK to see space launch power in action.
So, what is STARLIFT? It’s a NATO project helping countries launch satellites quickly when needed, using commercial launch partners. Satellites can help keep us all safe – for defence, communication, and even emergency response!
SaxaVord is playing a key role. We’re the UK’s only fully licensed vertical launch spaceport. Along with RFA and other companies like HyImpulse, SaxaVord is getting ready to launch from UK soil later this year.
Frank Strang, CEO of SaxaVord, said:
“With global geopolitical uncertainty mounting, today was a great opportunity for SaxaVord and RFA to show the NATO Starlift delegates what we have built here and brief them on our future plans.
Space as a domain has an ever-increasing role to play in keeping us secure and protecting our economies, and the UK and Europe have an asset in SaxaVord and partners like RFA that can help defend our combined interests.”
Daniel Hilgert, NATO’s Senior Space Coordinator, said:
“Through the STARLIFT programme, Allies are exploring novel mechanisms to harness innovation in the commercial launch market, allowing for faster responses to security and defence needs in the space domain.”
Peter Kyle, UK Science and Technology Secretary, added:
“We have been working to bolster the UK’s ability to launch into space so that we can boost our collective security both domestically and for our allies as well as grow the UK’s space industry and the British economy, as part of our Plan for Change.
This event at SaxaVord was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the progress being made towards launch from UK soil, as the spaceport prepares for its first launches with companies such as RFA and Orbex.”
The UK and Germany have already promised to work more closely together in defence, through the Trinity House Agreement. This visit shows just how serious that partnership is — and that SaxaVord is right at the centre of it all.
From Unst to outer space… NATO knows SaxaVord is ready.
Stay tuned, Unstronauts — launch day is coming soon!
Written by The Fredo Team
Image Credits
Paul Riddell
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Fredo Explains
Fredo Explains
In the first episode of Fredo Explains!, Fredo the Unstronaut explores what makes a spaceport so special. From launchpads to control rooms, Fredo shows how SaxaVord Spaceport helps rockets blast off into space—and how it supports missions that do good for our planet. It’s like an airport, but for rockets! Get ready to learn, laugh, and launch with Fredo in this fun intro to the world of spaceports!
Ask an Unstronaut
Ask an Unstronaut
In the very first episode of Ask an Unstronaut, Fredo receives a brilliant question from Grace (and her sausage dog, Nova!) all about Mars missions! Grace wants to know if SaxaVord Spaceport will ever send probes to the Red Planet — and Fredo’s got the answer, along with some fun facts about rockets, satellites, and what the future might hold for spaceports like SaxaVord. Could you be the one to help launch the first Shetland mission to Mars?
Get in Touch
Want to ask an Unstronaut a question?
You will be able to send in your questions really soon! Fredo cannot wait to hear from you so keep coming up with ideas and we'll let you know when he's ready!