UK approves first-ever rocket launch into space from European territory
Photo: British spaceport SaxaVord (saxavord.com)
The British regulator has issued the first-ever license for a vertical orbital rocket launch into space. This launch could become the first in history from a spaceport located in Europe, The Telegraph reports.
It has been reported that the German rocket manufacturer Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has received the license. It became the first "spaceflight operator" licensed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
The license will allow for a test flight of the 30-meter RFA ONE rocket from the SaxaVord spaceport on the Shetland Islands. The launch is scheduled for 2025.
SaxaVord is a repurposed base that has become the first spaceport in the UK authorized for vertical rocket launches.
Rocket Factory Augsburg, founded in 2018, aims to fill a niche in the relatively affordable delivery of payloads to low Earth orbit. These payloads could include satellites, for example.
The company hopes to conduct weekly launches in the future. The current license allows for up to 10 launches per year, no more than two per month, with at least a 24-hour interval between launches.
"Securing the first-ever launch license outside ESA’s established site in Kourou is not just a regulatory milestone – it’s a powerful endorsement of our technical excellence and a turning point for European space innovation," said Jörn Spurmann, the co-founder and chief commercial officer of RFA.
It was previously reported that Blue Origin is preparing to launch a rocket and could challenge the dominance of Elon Musk's SpaceX in commercial space transportation.
Last year, SpaceX launched its Starship spacecraft and successfully landed the massive first stage of the booster rocket for the first time.
