Portuguese firm Omnidea acquires assets of Scotland's Orbex rocket company

Omnidea, a space and advanced-technology group from Portugal, has secured the assets and intellectual property of Orbital Express Launch Ltd., the company behind Scotland's Orbex. The deal covers the former Forres manufacturing facility, with a team of ex-Orbex engineers set to join and further hiring planned. The Scottish legal entity, the Kinloss test site and Sutherland Spaceport are not part of this transaction.

Omnidea intends to use the Forres site as a hub for structures development, fabrication, and flight-ground electronics, merging its two-decade-long propulsion and fluid-control know-how with Orbex's capabilities. Vice-President Sérgio da Cunha Oliveira said the purchase supports Europe's ambition for autonomous access to space and will bring investment and expertise to the UK. The company also plans to explore applications of its technology in other high-tech markets.