Germany's Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) received its licence on Thursday to conduct space flights from a base in the north of the UK. The company aims to be the first to launch satellites into orbit from British soil.
Following an engine explosion on a rocket last year, RFA hopes to achieve a test flight this year from the SaxaVord base on the remote island of Unst in the Shetland archipelago off the Scottish coast.
RFA's co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Jörn Spurmann, called the awarding of "the very first launch licence" on the European continent – outside of the European Space Agency's (ESA) site in Kourou (French Guiana) – a milestone for European space innovation.
Last year, the European Commission and ESA selected five space operators, including RFA, to launch small European satellites and enhance competition in a sector primarily dominated by billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX.
The awarding of this first licence is a "historic step" for the UK, stated Chief Executive of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Rob Bishton. The CAA previously had also granted a "spaceport licence" to the private SaxaVord site at the end of 2023.
An RFA rocket engine exploded during a static test in August last year, but the incident caused no injuries.
