Edinburgh-based rocket company Skyrora plans to be the first company to launch an orbital mission from British soil later this year.

At the bottom of a retired quarry in the Scottish county of Midlothian, the UK’s largest rocket engine testing facility has today opened for business.

Edinburgh-based rocket company Skyrora aims to be the first company to launch an orbital mission from British soil later this year.

Back in May 2020 the company completed a vertical static fire test of its Skylark L rocket, which is only capable of sub-orbital flight and can carry a payload of just 60kg.

That’s less than the average adult male weighs, even without a spacesuit, but enough for a very small satellite.