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Skyrora Secures First UK Vertical Launch Licence as SaxaVord Slots Fill

With no SaxaVord pads free for 2025, Skyrora is seeking launch sites abroad to prevent further delays.

Skyrora’s Skylark L suborbital rocket undergoes a static fire test, part of preparations for its first U.K. launch.
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A computer-generated image of a rocket taking off from Lamba Ness on Unst

Overview

  • The Civil Aviation Authority licence allows Skyrora up to 16 annual suborbital flights of its 11–12 metre Skylark L rocket from SaxaVord Spaceport.
  • SaxaVord has no available launch slots for 2025, making Skyrora’s first UK flight unlikely until 2026.
  • The company is exploring its mobile launch concept at potential sites in Norway, Australia and the planned Sutherland Spaceport to keep its programme on schedule.
  • Skylark L is designed to carry 50 kg payloads to about 500 km altitude as a technology pathfinder for the larger three-stage, ten-engine Skyrora XL orbital launcher.
  • CAA chief Rob Bishton and other officials hailed the licence as a major step toward UK sovereign launch capability and growth in the domestic space sector.