Lift off: Starting out in Shetland
For Hyimpulse, the decision to test technology on a Scottish island instead of on the German mainland came down to one factor: speed.
Konstantin Tomilin, chief operating officer of Hyimpulse, explained: “During our development phase, we need to test a lot of things – especially our propulsion system.
“We have a production facility here in Germany, and we’re building a big testing facility alongside the German Aerospace Centre, but that’s a huge project that will take a long time to complete.
“It was much easier for us to create a facility somewhere more remote, with fewer people who could be affected by testing. We could get the infrastructure in place more quickly, and progress our project faster.
“And we’re working closely with Saxavord SpacePort, which is also based on Shetland, so we’re able to work in collaboration with others who are keen to advance space travel technology.”
It was Saxavord that recommended Streamline to Hyimpulse, not only as the spaceport’s official logistics partner but as a carrier with over 40 years’ experience delivering goods of all sizes to Shetland.
Since February 2021, Streamline has been carrying shipments from Hyimpulse’s German manufacturing facility to Shetland and back again following testing.
It has been, says Konstantin, a successful partnership – but not one without its early complications.
He continued: “In the beginning, when we started work in Shetland, we (accidentally!) timed it perfectly with the beginning of Brexit.
“We were perhaps one of the first German businesses who needed to export something under the Brexit rules, which were changing all the time, but with Streamline’s support we managed to overcome those challenges.”
In the first year following Brexit, import and export rules changed almost weekly – with no two shipments following the same process. Streamline worked tirelessly to keep Hyimpulse abreast of any regulation changes, and completed all associated paperwork to ensure everything went smoothly.
The Streamline team also worked closely with haulage partners in Europe to ensure the best route to avoid any further delays.