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Buyers 'interested' in assets of collapsed rockets firm

Orbex An artist's impression of a rocket launching from Sutherland Spaceport. There is a plume of smoke below the rocket as it takes off.Orbex
Orbex had plans for a spaceport facility in Sutherland

Discussions are taking place to sell off various parts of a collapsed rockets manufacturer, according to the firm handling the sale.

Moray-based Orbex was placed into administration earlier this year with the loss of more than 150 jobs.

Administrators FRP Advisory said there had been a "high level" of interest from buyers, with 15 offers received for parts of the business and its assets.

FRP said one bidder was given a short period of exclusivity to explore a bid and paid a £25,000 deposit, but that period had now lapsed.

Orbex employed 163 people across the UK, with most of them based in Forres in Moray.

The majority of the workers lost their jobs in February.

The company also had a lease for a planned spaceport at Tongue in Sutherland.

Orbex was founded in February 2015 and was developing a rocket called Prime for use in launching small satellites into low Earth orbit.