UK rocket company Skyrora has opened a new rocket launching test facility in Scotland, marking another significant milestone as it scales up operations in preparation for orbital launch. The site, located in Midlothian, will be a significant contribution to Scotland’s space infrastructure and will add to Skyrora’s fast-growing portfolio of development, manufacturing, and testing facilities across the country.
The facility is the largest of its kind in the UK, is a national first for space sector advancement and a huge leap towards establishing launch as a final sector in the space ecosystem. The site will provide Skyrora with a number of competitive advantages, given its proximity to the company’s other facilities.
Stand was designed in less than 8 months
From an environmental and sustainability perspective, having a local test facility means a lower carbon footprint compared to having to transport engines and equipment to third-party facilities. The Midlothian site harnesses its natural surroundings and uses rainfall from the Scottish Lowlands as part of the cooling systems of the test stand. The stand itself was designed, manufactured and commissioned in less than eight months, making it one of the world’s fastest stands to be built.
The site allows Skyrora to concentrate its launch development operations for the purpose of conducting acceptance tests for engines on its orbital Skyrora XL vehicle, as it aims to become the first British company to complete an orbital launch from UK soil. After three separate planning applications, the Midlothian facility was commissioned and brought into service within just six months. The site was made possible in part by a grant awarded in 2021 by the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of its mission to foster new commercial space transportation services.
Site will host team of up to 20 engineers
The Midlothian site, occupying an area of over 120,000 sq ft (just over two football fields), will serve a team of up to 20 engineers once the testing site is running at full capacity. So far, the site has already seen 15 engine tests completed, with regular weekly tests being conducted. Skyrora’s 70kN bi-propellant engine, which emits half the carbon emissions of engines using liquid oxygen and kerosene, is currently undergoing verification testing at the new facility.
Nine of these engines, fuelled by Skyrora’s non-cryogenic propellant, a more stable fuel that doesn’t need constant cooling, will power the 23-metre Skyrora XL rocket on its launch from the UK. The UK’s history in space-related technology development, in particular the Black Arrow rocket tests that took place at the Highdown testing site near the Needles New Battery.
The Black Arrow rocket, which was tested at Highdown, near the Needles New Battery on the Isle of Wight, made its final flight in 1971 from Australian soil. It was the first and only successful orbital launch to be conducted by the UK.
Facility enables Skyrora to”take direct charge of development cycle in-house”
Skyrora’s Head of Engineering, Dr Jack James Marlow, said: “The new purpose-built Midlothian site allows us to take direct charge of the development cycle in-house. By reducing our reliance on third parties and cultivating specialist knowledge within the company, the Midlothian location gives us much closer control of the quality and rapid development of Skyrora XL as we prepare for its first demo launch. The site also allows us to optimise our manufacturing processes, and to scale up launch vehicle production over the long term. This milestone was only made possible due to the dedication and talent of the Test Site Team.”
With the launch of its three-stage orbital vehicle – Skyrora XL – scheduled for later this year as the company bids to be the first British firm to launch a rocket from UK soil, Skyrora’s new facility comes at a pivotal time.
Engineering feat “wouldn’t have been possible” without Ukrainian colleagues
Skyrora founder and CEO Volodymyr Levykin said: “Developing sovereign launch capability is of the utmost importance for the UK’s ability to claim a leadership position in the emerging new global space economy – something that has only become more clear as we’ve seen the role played by space services in intelligence-gathering and security and defence during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The opening of our Midlothian site means that Britain is another step closer to unlocking its launch capacity and potential to play a bigger role in the space economy. We would usually have the entire Skyrora family here to celebrate such an achievement, but unfortunately, our Ukrainian colleagues can’t be with us. Without them, this feat of engineering wouldn’t have been possible and I’m sure that we’ll be able to celebrate with them again very soon.
Levykin added: “An infrastructural triumph for the UK space sector, this facility promotes STEM job creation that’s central to the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda, unlocking the revolutionary potential of the new space economy in the UK in the process. We’re proud to have led the way on this.”
