Colorado-based LEAP and Highlands and Islands Enterprise have signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding to explore launch operations from Sutherland Spaceport in northern Scotland. Announced on November 5, 2026, the agreement establishes a framework for collaboration on a proposed European operating location for the American company.
The HIE announcement describes a dedicated development workstream for LEAP launches. The company proposes beginning with its Bullfrog vehicle and subsequently introducing Bighorn missions, with recurring operations as the longer-term objective.
Sutherland would be a land-based addition to LEAP’s proposed logistics network. The company’s plans combine small-satellite launches with suborbital flights and point-to-point transportation, in which a payload travels between locations on Earth.
Two Vehicles With Different Roles
LEAP describes Bullfrog as a reusable, uncrewed vehicle for research, testing, and point-to-point demonstrations. Its technology description identifies a single-stage, liquid-propellant configuration using one engine and parachute recovery.
Bighorn is the company’s larger planned vehicle. LEAP lists a proposed orbital payload capability of 205 kilograms to low Earth orbit and a separate point-to-point capability of 1,000 kilograms over distances up to 7,000 kilometers. Those figures describe different mission profiles rather than the same flight.
An orbital mission accelerates a payload into a path around Earth. A point-to-point mission follows a trajectory back to a terrestrial destination. LEAP also identifies testing and hypersonic research among Bighorn’s intended uses.
The company’s published development schedule places Bighorn design and testing in 2026, initial production and further testing in 2027, and full operations in 2028. Its manufacturing concept pairs transportable launch equipment with modular production facilities designed to produce more than 30 vehicles annually per line.
A Proposed European Operating Base
LEAP’s Sutherland announcement places the agreement within a broader examination of a British presence. Discussions include possible manufacturing and testing, regional suppliers, recruitment, skills development, and university partnerships.
The company previously announced interest in British operations at Space-Comm Glasgow in 2025. Subsequent engagement included visits to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Machrihanish, and the Inverness area, alongside discussions with national and Scottish institutions.
For HIE, the agreement follows its acquisition of Sutherland Spaceport Ltd’s assets in August 2026. The development agency has since been examining options for the site, including potential operators and economic activity connected with spaceflight.
The proposed sequence begins with Bullfrog operations and progresses to Bighorn’s suborbital, transportation, and orbital missions. The memorandum provides the collaborative framework through which LEAP and HIE intend to develop that Sutherland operating plan.
