Shopping cart
Your cart empty!
Permission granted for first-of-its-kind British rocket launch
Permission for the first vertical space launch from UK soil by a British rocket company has been granted by the air safety regulator.
The licence from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) gives Glasgow-based Skyrora the green light to launch its Skylark L rocket from the SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands. "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," said Volodymyr Levykin, CEO of Skyrora.
"It is essential that the UK has sovereign launch capabilities." While it's a step towards that goal, the licence doesn't mean the Shetlands will rival America's Cape Canaveral any time soon. Although the CAA licence allows Skyrora up to 16 launches a year, SaxaVord isn't expected to be able to facilitate a launch until early 2026.
The current licence is also limited to sub-orbital launches of the 11m tall rocket. Skyrora expects its rocket to reach an altitude of between 120 and 130km - well over the 100km-high "Karman Line.
Amir Nisi
Creative and experienced content writer with 6+ years of experience lazy to create unique content strategy for News5 to turn website visitors into customers.
Related to this topic:
AI and Marketing: Unlocking Customer Insights
Feb 22, 2024
