Kids officially open UK's first spaceport

The UK's first vertical spaceport is now officially open.

The SaxaVord spaceport is in Shetland.

Space-mad local children Grace and Harry helped to cut the ribbon at a special ceremony, which declares it ready to start launching rockets.

It follows the first successful engine test by German rocket company RFA.

What is the SaxaVord spaceport?

Both Grace and Harry were over the moon to have been chosen to take part in the opening ceremony

SaxaVord is a spaceport, which is like an airport but for rockets.

There are a few of them in the UK - there's one in Cornwall, and another on the Scottish mainland, but none have successfully launched anything into space yet.

SaxaVord hopes to be the first, and will be allowed to send up to 30 rockets a year.

These will be used to take things like satellites up into space.

People are hoping Saxavord could be the start of a thriving space industry in the UK

The first tests successfully took place there last week and it's hoped rockets will blast off for real later this summer.

SaxaVord Spaceport CEO Frank Strang said it's been "a long hard journey" to get to a point where they'd be ready to launch, but wanted to do something special to celebrate the hard work his team had put in to get there.

The UK has also invested £10 million in the project.

The first tests at the spaceport were a success, paving the way for lift off later this summer

SaxaVord’s US-based space educator Mike Mongo helped Grace and Harry open the site in Unst.

He said: “It’s a great honour to join Grace and Harry – the future of the culture and industry of space – in formally opening SaxaVord Spaceport.

“SaxaVord has always been a leader, and now it is blazing the trail in Europe with a first vertical orbital launch just over the horizon – it’s an awesome achievement.”

Could Grace and Harry be the UK's next astronauts?

Grace said: “I love space, and I have visited SaxaVord hundreds of times, so I was super excited to play such a big part in the opening. I’ll never forget it.”

And Harry is excited to see the Spaceport's first rocket blast off into space: “I’m really chuffed to have been asked to do the ribbon-cutting on such an important day for the Spaceport. I can’t wait to see the first rocket launch.”