Skyrora

Skyrora is a Glasgow-based UK rocket company developing launch vehicles to provide British sovereign space access. In August 2025, the UK Civil Aviation Authority granted Skyrora the first vertical launch operator license awarded to a UK-based rocket company, authorizing up to 16 sub-orbital Skylark L launches per year from the CAA-licensed SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland. This historic milestone made Skyrora the first British company licensed to launch from UK soil. The Skylark L suborbital rocket is designed to loft 50 kg payloads to 120 km altitude above the Karman Line. The Skyrora XL, designed to deliver up to 315 kg of small satellites into orbit, stands nearly 23 meters tall and 2.2 meters in diameter, featuring carbon composite construction, nine 3D-printed engines on the first stage, a vacuum-optimized second stage engine, and a third kick stage for precise orbital insertions. Skyrora partnered with Viasat to use satellite-powered InRange telemetry systems during upcoming sub-orbital launches.