Approval given for first 'vertical' UK space rocket launch
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Approval has been given for the first UK launch of a traditional "vertical" rocket. The critical clearance from the air safety regulator has taken the country a step closer to seeing its first lift-off on British shores. German company Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) said it had received a launch licence from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and would now press ahead with a test flight from Scotland later this year.
The CAA has already given the green light to the SaxaVord Spaceport, which is far north of Shetland, where the company will launch. This approved both its ground operations and ability to keep people out of hazardous areas around a rocket's flight path.
It comes as earlier on Thursday, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket successfully blasted off, heralding a new phase in the competition within the commercial space market. Jorn Spurmann, the RFA's co-founder, said the CAA's decision was an important step toward "independent, competitive and sustainable" space access in Europe.
New exhibition showing Scotland from the sky to open at Fort George. Family of Claire Halliday, woman missing on Isle of Mull, 'just want to know she is safe'. Missing Aberdeen sisters did not tell family about plans to leave rented flat. "This is a groundbreaking moment for RFA and for Europe's space industry," Mr Spurmann added.
