German firm Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has been granted the UK’s first licence to launch rockets vertically from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
When they begin, the launches will be from the UK’s SaxaVord Spaceport on Shetland and the licence allows up to ten launches per year.
RFA wants to use SaxaVord to launch satellites and other small payloads and it said the licence granted from the CAA was the first of its kind in Europe.
The company added: “The licence is not limited in time and covers a wide range of orbits and trajectories. All three key regulatory authorisations required for an RFA ONE test flight in 2025 from SaxaVord Spaceport have now been granted”.
Rob Bishton, from the CAA, said: “This is a new era for aerospace and granting the first vertical launch licence from UK soil builds towards a historic milestone for the nation.
“This licence is the culmination of extensive hard work behind the scenes to put appropriate safety and environmental measures in place before launch.”
Seven German companies have already booked space for payloads on the first test flight of RFA One which RFA is confident will take place in 2025.