Skyrora win first space launch licence
The permission from the UK Civil Aviation Authority allows the company which has an office on Princes Street to launch from the SaxaVord Spaceport up to 16 times. The approval process examined key matters such as safety and environmental mitigations, and the ongoing launches will be subject to monitoring by the space regulator.
The company must also share its data with the UK Government as part of the licensing arrangement.
Rob Bishton, CEO of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: 'Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation.
'Our work as the UK's space regulator is enabling the burgeoning launch industry to safely grow, bringing new jobs and investment with it.'
Volodymyr Levykin, CEO Skyrora said: 'Becoming the first UK company to receive its vertical launch operator licence is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at Skyrora. It is essential that the UK has sovereign launch capabilities.
'Skyrora is proud to be leading efforts that enable launch activity from the UK and we look forward to achieving a reliable commercial launch programme that benefits us all.'
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, said: 'This launch licence isn't just one giant leap for Skyrora – it's a massive boost to the whole of Scotland and the wider UK's space sector. Becoming the first British company to manufacture and send a rocket into space from the UK will be a hugely significant moment.
'It's an exciting time for the Scottish space sector – an important industry which is playing a vital role in our Plan for Change, helping economic growth and employing thousands of people in good quality jobs across the country. Glasgow in particular is a city and region with a huge role to play in the space race, with innovation in this field the focus of its £160 million UK Government funded Investment Zone status. This zone, established with local partners, is expected to generate around £300 million of initial private investment and support up to 10,000 jobs in the region.'
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STV News
20 minutes ago
- STV News
Scottish space company celebrates 'huge milestone' as launch licence granted
A Scottish space company is celebrating a 'huge milestone' after it was granted a launch operator licence for one of its rockets. However, Skyrora is still searching for a pad to blast off from, with none available this year at least. The company, which has a factory in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, has been granted a launch licence for its suborbital rocket, Skylark. Later, the company hopes to use a much larger rocket called XL to deliver satellites into orbit. The licence enables Skyrora to launch from the UK's licensed 'vertical launch' spaceport: SaxaVord on the northernmost point of the Shetland Islands. But currently there are no pads free at the site. Volodymyr Levykin spoke to the PA news agency just before the launch licence was announced by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). He said Skylark, a single-stage rocket measuring almost 12 metres long, would go 'up and down' when it launches – taking a 50 kilo payload to an altitude of about 500 kilometres (310 miles). If successful, this will mean it crosses the boundary into space but it will not deliver a satellite into orbit. Mr Levykin said of the licence: 'This is a huge milestone for us because at least half of the work, maybe 70% has been done. Looking forward to actually launching. 'The whole application was based on SaxaVord in Shetland Isles as a launch location, however, there are some room for adjustments and flexibility.' Mr Levykin said SaxaVord 'is not available any more for us to launch, this year at least'. Earlier this year, another space company called Orbex announced it would move its launch operation to SaxaVord from the under-construction Sutherland Spaceport on Scotland's north coast. Mr Levykin said his company is now considering other options, including potentially using the Sutherland site vacated by Orbex. He said: 'At the moment we're trying to figure out – what is the legal structure, what is owned, what is not owned? 'What is the capacity of the current management, the jurisdiction? 'But you take this apart – practically, it's absolutely do-able because we have the mobile launch concept.' He said this would allow Skyrora to launch its rocket in a variety of locations around Europe with just a few days of preparation. In October 2022, the company attempted to launch Skylark from Iceland, but a software problem led to it falling into the sea just after lift-off. Ultimately, Skyrora wants to use its 23-metre XL rocket to launch about eight times a year, to capitalise on the burgeoning global demand for small satellite launches. They are aiming to do the initial test-firing of this rocket's first stage this year, though the location has not yet been revealed. It would involve nine engines firing at the same time. Rob Bishton, chief executive of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: 'Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora, its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation. 'Our work as the UK's space regulator is enabling the burgeoning launch industry to safely grow, bringing new jobs and investment with it.' Richard Lochhead, the Scottish Government's business minister, said: 'Securing the UK's first launch operator licence is a landmark moment in Skyrora's plans to become the first company in the UK to build and launch a rocket into space.' UK aviation and space minister Mike Kane said: 'I am thrilled we've reached this important milestone in the UK space sector, and I congratulate Skyrora for being the first UK company to receive a rocket launch licence.' Scottish Secretary Ian Murray added: 'This launch licence isn't just one giant leap for Skyrora – it's a massive boost to the whole of Scotland and the wider UK's space sector. 'Becoming the first British company to manufacture and send a rocket into space from the UK will be a hugely significant moment.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Skyrora becomes first UK-based firm to get space launch licence
A Scottish company has become the first UK-based rocket firm to receive a space launch Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) licence allows Skyrora to launch from the SaxaVord Spaceport in a future launch is successful, the company could become the first British company to manufacture and launch a rocket into space from the welcomed the news. Both the Edinburgh-based company and the CAA both describing it as a "huge milestone". The license will allow the firm to launch and operate its suborbital rocket Skylark L from the hopes to launch the rocket up to 16 times a year by 2030. A number of companies hope to use SaxaVord in Unst, the northernmost point in the UK, as a launch site for commercial January, German firm Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) was awarded the first launch operator licence allowing it to launch rockets from says Skylark L has the potential to be used for microgravity experiments at a lower cost than an orbital 11m (36ft) tall rocket was produced using components that were 3D-printed in the UK and it is capable of reaching 3.5 times the speed of is hoped that the rocket would reach an altitude of about 310 miles (500km) and then return to Earth, which would involve passing into and out of space. Rob Bishton, the chief executive of the CAA, said: "Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora, its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation."Our work as the UK's space regulator is enabling the burgeoning launch industry to safely grow, bringing new jobs and investment with it."Skyrora chief executive Volodymyr Levykin said the journey to getting the license was a "long but ultimately rewarding one".He added: "Becoming the first homegrown company in the UK to receive a vertical launch operator licence is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at Skyrora."Safety is paramount to us, and so we are grateful to the CAA for its diligence in ensuring any launch activity is held to the highest of standards."Skyrora is proud to be leading efforts that enable launch activity from the UK and we look forward to achieving a reliable commercial launch programme that benefits us all." Scottish Secretary Ian Murray MP called the news "a massive boost to the whole of Scotland and the wider UK's space sector".He added: "I'm very proud that Scotland is at the forefront of such pioneering technology and I look forward to blast off from SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland."The SaxaVord Spaceport is a former RAF radar year, during a test known as a hot-fire, an engine exploded at the resulted in a some damage to the launch platform and completely destroyed the space industry in the UK is estimated to be support tens of thousands of jobs.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
British rockets to launch for first time in 50 years
British rockets will launch for the first time in 50 years. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced it had granted the first-ever vertical launch licence to Skyrora, a UK-based company, which will allow 16 flights from the SaxaVord spaceport in Shetland. It would be Britain's first vertical launch since the Black Arrow programme in the 1970s, in which a handful of UK rockets were fired from Woomera in Australia, including one that took the Prospero satellite into space. The licence is for Skyrora's suborbital rocket, Skylark, which can reach 62 miles high and could carry small payloads, such as scientific experiments that need access to space-like conditions. For example, observing the effects of cells in microgravity. The company is also planning a larger rocket that would place satellites into orbit. Mike Kane, the aviation and space minister, said: 'I am thrilled we've reached this important milestone in the UK space sector, and I congratulate Skyrora for being the first UK company to receive a rocket launch licence. 'This is the kind of scientific innovation and exploration that will help the UK cement itself as a global player in the space race.' Britain first began developing space rockets in the 1950s, as a way of repurposing Blue Streak ballistic missiles, which were developed as a nuclear deterrent. UK engineers had even contemplated using the rocket to put British people on the Moon and drew up plans for an Apollo-style programme that would have beaten the US to the lunar surface and established a Moon base. The launch programme was cancelled at the beginning of the 1970s after it was deemed less expensive to use American rockets to send satellites into orbit. Earlier this year, the CAA granted the first vertical licence to the German company Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) and had also previously licensed Virgin Orbit for horizontal launch before the company folded following a failed launch from Cornwall. UK-based Orbex has also applied for a launch licence but it has not yet been granted. Rob Bishton, chief executive of the CAA, said: 'Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora, its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation. 'Our work as the UK's space regulator is enabling the burgeoning launch industry to safely grow, bringing new jobs and investment with it.' It is likely that RFA will beat Skyrora to launch from Britain, but both companies have faced setbacks in recent years. In Oct 2022, Skyrora attempted to launch Skylark from Iceland, but a software problem led to it falling into the sea shortly after lift-off. Likewise, an RFA rocket exploded on the launchpad at SaxaVord during testing last summer. The CAA said that it would be closely monitoring operations to ensure that Skyrora met all the requirements for launch. The company is aiming to do the initial test-firing of this rocket's first stage this year. Volodymyr Levykin, the chief executive of Skyrora, said: 'Skyrora is proud to be leading efforts that enable launch activity from the UK and we look forward to achieving a reliable commercial launch programme that benefits us all.' The licence comes with a number of conditions that will need to be met before launch including adequate insurance, a data-sharing agreement with the UK Government, satisfactory arrangements with SaxaVord, and airspace agreements with other countries. Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: 'Congratulations to Skyrora. This demonstrates the growing strength of our domestic launch capabilities, and the thriving commercial space economy we are building across the country.'
