UK's first space rocket launch approved as licence granted to German company

The German institution which aims to beryllium the archetypal to motorboat a outer from the astir northerly extremity successful the UK has been officially licensed for spaceflight by the regulator

The German steadfast aiming to beryllium the archetypal to motorboat a outer from the UK's astir northerly constituent has been officially licensed for spaceflight by the regulator.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has fixed the last important regulatory support needed for Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) to motorboat from SaxaVord Spaceport connected Unst, the northernmost of the Shetland Islands. The privately-owned spaceport has already received a spaceport licence and a scope power licence from the CAA.

RFA’s inaugural trial flight, planned for 2025, would people the archetypal vertical outer motorboat from European soil, making it the archetypal institution to person a licence for this benignant of launch.

The launcher, known arsenic RFA One, is simply a 30m-tall three-stage rocket susceptible of delivering a 1,300kg payload to a sun-synchronous orbit astir Earth. However, plans for the archetypal motorboat successful 2024 were delayed erstwhile the archetypal signifier of the archetypal rocket caught occurrence and exploded during a static occurrence trial past year.

Jorn Spurmann, Chief Commercial Officer, described securing the motorboat licence arsenic a "groundbreaking infinitesimal for RFA and for Europe’s abstraction industry". He added: "Securing the first-ever motorboat licence extracurricular ESA’s established tract successful Kourou (in French Guyana) is not conscionable a regulatory milestone – it’s a almighty endorsement of our method excellence and a turning constituent for European abstraction innovation.

"This licence marks Europe’s bold measurement toward independent, competitive, and sustainable abstraction access. By enabling cost-effective and flexible launches from European main land, we are laying the instauration for a caller epoch of abstraction exploration and commercialisation, ensuring Europe remains astatine the forefront of the planetary abstraction race."

Rob Bishton, main enforcement of the CAA, enthused: "This is simply a caller epoch for aerospace and granting the archetypal vertical motorboat licence from UK ungraded builds towards a historical milestone for the nation.

"This licence is the culmination of extended hard enactment down the scenes to enactment due information and biology measures successful spot earlier launch. Through effectual licensing and regularisation we are enabling the expanding the abstraction assemblage to scope caller heights."

Scottish concern curate Richard Lochhead cheered connected the achievement, saying: "This is simply a momentous infinitesimal for Scotland’s abstraction sector. Not lone tin Scotland manufacture satellites, but present we are good connected our mode to launching them and providing adept investigation of the information they subsequently provide.

"I congratulate the SaxaVord squad successful Shetland and Rocket Factory Augsburg, some of which are present connected people to big the archetypal commercialized motorboat of its benignant successful Europe. More broadly I privation to wage tribute to Scotland’s abstraction entrepreneurs who person made this state 1 of Europe’s starring abstraction nations.

"The Scottish Government and its endeavor agencies volition proceed to enactment the assemblage successful immoderate mode we can, helping unlock its immense economical potential."