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A Scottish space company is hailing the successful static test of a scaled-down version of its rocket, hoping it will pave the way for satellite launches.
Skyrora carried out a 45-second “hot fire” test of a smaller version of its orbital launch vehicle at a special site in Machrihanish, Argyll and Bute.
The rocket engine produced a column of fire and billowing clouds of smoke during the test in recent weeks, which was designed to validate the systems of the Skyrora XL launch vehicle.
The company, which has a factory in North Lanarkshire, gathered data on the way the rocket systems function.
Skyrora XL is a three-stage rocket which will stand 23-metres tall, able to carry a payload of up to 315kg of satellites.
Skyrora’s chief operating officer, Dr Jack James Marlow, said: “You don’t build confidence in an orbital launch vehicle by waiting until the finished rocket is on the launchpad.
“You build it through thousands of decisions, measurements and tests along the way.
“This scaled-down XL system lets us test and validate the technology, subsystems and components together, understand how they perform and make improvements before scaling up to the full vehicle.
“Our approach is simple: test, learn, refine and test again, so that when Skyrora XL reaches the pad, we have confidence grounded in evidence.”
In October 2022, the company attempted to launch a smaller sub-orbital rocket called Skylark from Iceland, but a software problem led to it falling into the sea just after lift-off.
Ultimately, Skyrora wants to use its 23-metre XL rocket to launch about eight times a year, to capitalise on the burgeoning global demand for small satellite launches.