NSF - NASASpaceflight.com@NASASpaceflight·Edinburgh-based Skyrora was granted its Spaceflight Operator Licence from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on August 5 — the first vertical launch license awarded to a British company to launch from the UK.NSF spoke with Skyrora’s Head of Business, Derek Harris, to discuss the upcoming launch of its Skylark L suborbital vehicle and the progress already being made towards its Skyrora XL orbital launcher.
QuoteNSF - NASASpaceflight.com@NASASpaceflighthttps://nasaspaceflight.com/2025/08/skyrora-efis/(RFA) static fire anomaly last August caused the company to switch to the only other available pad at SaxaVord. Subsequently, there’s no pad currently available for Skylark L to launch from until next year.Are there multiple operatinal pads at Saxavord? I thought there where only one (Fredo)
NSF - NASASpaceflight.com@NASASpaceflighthttps://nasaspaceflight.com/2025/08/skyrora-efis/(RFA) static fire anomaly last August caused the company to switch to the only other available pad at SaxaVord. Subsequently, there’s no pad currently available for Skylark L to launch from until next year.
Are there multiple operatinal pads at Saxavord? I thought there where only one (Fredo)
The licence allows for up to 16 launches a year from SaxaVord Spaceport.
Viasat, Inc. today announced it will provide its InRange launch telemetry service for future sub-orbital demonstration of Skyrora’s Skylark L launch vehicle.InRange ensures a continuous flow of telemetry data during rocket flight from launch to payload deployment. Unlike traditional ground networks that can only connect when a launch vehicle is within sight, InRange uses Viasat’s L-band geostationary satellites which orbit 36,500km above the Earth. This means launch operators like Skyrora can closely monitor launch missions from launch vehicle to control center with consistent and reliable connectivity from space.The announcement follows Skyrora’s successful UK-first ground tests of InRange, completed in October 2024 in collaboration with Viasat and CGI. In August, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) granted the Scottish company a license to launch and operate its sub-orbital Skylark L rocket from the SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland. Skyrora currently aims to launch as many as 16 times per year by 2030.
Space Intelligence@SpaceIntel101Successful test of @Skyrora_Ltd's Skyforce 2 rocket engine!It will be integrated into the Skyrora XL🚀 soon.
