SHETLAND is on track to host the first vertical rocket launch in British history.
Last week Edinburgh-based rocket manufacturer Skyrora completed a static fire test of its flagship Skyrora XL orbital rocket.
The successful test took place at the Machrihanish Airbase in Argyll where Skyrora scientists hot fired the engine for the second stage of the rocket’s launch, which is set to start at an altitude of approximately 62 kilometres.
It puts the project on schedule for its inaugural launch from the small island of Unst in Shetland next year.
The rocket will blast off from the SaxaVord spaceport, which hopes to launch 16 rockets a year by 2030.
Volodymyr Levykin, founder and CEO of Skyrora, stated that the project is at the forefront of the UK’s burgeoning space industry.
He said: “With the UK striving to capture a 10% share of the global space market by 2030, the successful Skyrora XL second stage static fire test is the latest milestone reached to put Skyrora on track to become a key part of the UK’s new space industry as the first British company to conduct a vertical launch from UK soil.
We're ecstatic to share that we've successfully completed the static fire test of the 2nd stage of #SkyroraXL, bringing us closer to the first vertical #UKLaunch in 2023! 🚀 Learn more: https://t.co/JmQBeF3f2a@DiscoverSpaceUK @machairbase @spacegovuk @esa @SaxaVord_Space pic.twitter.com/b0Cd3lwExv
— Skyrora (@Skyrora_Ltd) August 18, 2022
“Skyrora now has purpose-built rocket manufacturing and testing facilities in the UK - as well as the largest 3D printer of its kind, which we are using to produce rocket engine components.
“We recognise the value that a strong domestic space industry will bring to the UK, and we will continue to spearhead these efforts to make the UK a player to be reckoned with globally.”
Lee Pace, chief operating officer for Skyrora and former SpaceX vice president, said: “The static fire test looks, sounds and feels a lot like a rocket launch but without lifting off!
“This hugely successful test was a definitive demonstration of our mobility and flexibility.”
Skyrora’s spaceport technology can be packed into a dozen shipping containers and transported, feasibly permitting rocket launches from anywhere in the world.
It is hoped that Skyrora’s “space-tug” - which could be launched into space aboard the Skyrora XL - will help tackle the increasing problem of space junk, which threatens to destroy orbiting satellites.
Last year a Chinese military satellite was destroyed after it collided with a small piece of debris from a Russian rocket launched in 1996.
