Skyrora secures UK launch licence

Skyrora, the British rocket and space technology company, has been granted a launch operator licence from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). 

The licence approval puts Skyrora on course to launch its SkyLark L suborbital vehicle from British soil. In doing so, it will become the first British company to manufacture and launch a rocket into space from the UK.

Being the first and only British company to receive a launch licence, Skyrora has achieved a major milestone in helping the UK with sovereign launch capabilities and gaining access to space without relying on other nations. 

Volodymyr Levykin, CEO of Skyrora, said:

Becoming the first homegrown company in the UK to receive a launch operator licence is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at Skyrora. We are pleased to be able to move forward with our launch plans. Given that operators like us, alongside the CAA, have been forging a new path, the journey to getting our UK licence has been a long but ultimately rewarding one. 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.  

It is essential that the UK has sovereign launch capabilities. Not only to unlock commercial activity for companies that need to access space and to help achieve the government’s objectives for becoming a global player in the space sector, but also from a strategic defence consideration. 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 allows Skyrora to launch from SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst, the UK’s licensed spaceport. In 2021, Skyrora and SaxaVord signed an MoU aiming for up to 16 launches annually by 2030. Skyrora’s Skylark L suborbital vehicle, fully manufactured in the UK, is now ready for launch.

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.

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray stated that the launch licence represents not only a significant achievement for Skyrora but also a major advancement for Scotland and the UK’s broader space industry. He commented: 

Becoming the first British company to manufacture and send a rocket into space from the UK will be a hugely significant moment. 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.

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.

According to Richard Lochhead, Scotland’s Minister for Business, obtaining the UK’s first launch operator licence marks a pivotal milestone in Skyrora’s journey to become the first UK company to manufacture and launch a rocket into space:

It is also a significant milestone and a hugely exciting development for the space sector in Scotland, with Skyrora’s partnership with Saxavord spaceport in Shetland meaning we move a step closer to the prospect of a Scottish-headquartered company launching a rocket into space from a Scottish spaceport.

Standing 11 metres tall and carrying a 50 kg payload, Skylark L is designed to travel beyond the Kármán line, the commonly accepted boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. 

Built in the UK using 3D-printed components, the vehicle is powered by a clean-burning 30 kN bipropellant engine and can reach speeds of up to 3.5 times the speed of sound. Originally developed to conduct final subsystem tests ahead of their integration into Skyrora XL, the completed prototype has revealed a new commercial opportunity, offering a cost-effective platform for microgravity experiments without the need for orbital launch.