Britain is FINALLY joining the space race! First ever launch from UK soil gets the green light - with a satellite set to blast off from the Shetland Islands
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More than 70 years after the British space programme was launched in 1952, Britain is finally joining the space race. The first ever rocket launch from UK soil will finally go ahead this year from SaxaVord Spaceport on Unst, the northernmost of the Shetland Islands.
![[RFA One is Rocket Factory Augsburg's 'innovative launch vehicle delivering flexible and low-cost access to space', according to the German company which was founded in 2018]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/09/94157879-14291159-RFA_One_is_Rocket_Factory_Augsburg_s_innovative_launch_vehicle_d-m-25_1737020304109.jpg)
The 100ft RFA One launch vehicle, developed by German company Rocket Factory Augsburg, will perform a NASA-style vertical blast off from the site. It will transport small and micro-satellites of up to 1,300 kg into Earth orbit for paying customers – marking the first ever British satellite launch.
![[A map shows SaxaVord on the island of Unst, at the northern tip of the Shetland Islands]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/10/79059889-14291159-A_map_shows_SaxaVord_on_the_island_of_Unst_at_the_northern_tip_o-a-35_1737024084061.jpg)
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has been licensed for spaceflight by the UK's regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), meaning the flight can officially go ahead. 'Granting the first vertical launch licence from UK soil builds towards a historic milestone for the nation,' said Rob Bishton, CAA CEO.
![[RFA was due to launch in 2024, but an explosive incident at the Shetland Islands site pushed this back to 2025. Pictured, artistic render of a successful 2025 launch]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/09/94157877-14291159-image-a-23_1737020265157.jpg)
SaxaVord Spaceport is one of three spaceports in the UK that aim to start satellite launches. It comes two years after Virgin Orbit's launch from Cornwall ended in failure. The first ever rocket launch from UK soil will finally go ahead this year from SaxaVord Spaceport on Unst, the northernmost of the Shetland Islands. The 100ft RFA One launch vehicle, developed by German company Rocket Factory Augsburg, will perform a NASA-style vertical blast off from the site. RFA One is currently under development. This image is an artistic render, showing RFA One launching from an undefined spaceport.
![[Pictured, SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst on the Shetland Islands. The German company which aims to be the first to launch a satellite from the most northerly tip in the UK has been officially licensed for spaceflight]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/10/94159897-14291159-image-a-28_1737023545046.jpg)
