Großbritannien beteiligt sich an SpaceX -Konkurrenz Orbex, um die Weltraumambitionen zu steigern

The U.K. government announced Wednesday a £20 million ($24.8 million) investment in Orbex, a Scottish spaceflight startup aiming to rival [Elon Musk’s](https://www.cnbc.com/elon-musk/) SpaceX.

The investment — part of a larger funding round that’s being raised by the firm — was revealed at the European Space Conference in Brussels. 

Orbex raised £23 million for its latest fundraise. Other investors involved include Denmark’s Export & Investment Fund, Octopus Ventures and former Informatica CEO Sohaib Abbasi.

The British government also currently holds a stake in Eutelsat OneWeb, which was formed through a 2023 merger of the two firms. The government initially backed OneWeb in 2020 as part of a $1 billion rescue deal with Indian conglomerate Bharti.

# What is Orbex?

Orbex is a startup that develops both small and medium-sized space rockets. The firm uses a renewable form of propane known as bio-propane to fuel its rockets.

It is aiming to launch its first rocket, called Prime, toward the end of 2025. Measuring 19 meters long, Prime is designed to transport small satellites into low-earth orbit.

The government said its investment in Orbex would contribute to its ambition to regularly launch U.K.-made rockets from British soil.

More: [https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/29/britain-takes-stake-in-spacex-rival-orbex-to-boost-space-ambitions.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/29/britain-takes-stake-in-spacex-rival-orbex-to-boost-space-ambitions.html)

„SpaceX rival Orbex“

I think Orbex is still a looooooong way of being a SpaceX rival.