Directorate of Civil Aviation (CAA) issued the first ever license for a vertical rocket launch, which will go into space from the territory of Great Britain.
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) plans to carry out launches from the SaxaVord spaceport in the Scottish Islands. The licensing process took into account a number of key factors. This included a security check, compliance with international obligations and environmental measures for the proposed RFA mission.
The approved launch involves launching the RFA ONE rocket at altitude 30 meters north of the coast of the Scottish Islands.
The license contains a number of conditions, which must be completed before starting, in particular, compliance with international agreements with other countries and appropriate insurance. Having received a license, The RFA is concentrating its attention on final technical preparations for the first test flight. The company has already completed the main stages of development, including a successful RFA ONE second class flight qualification, advanced Redshift orbital vehicle (OTV) and payload fairing systems. The rest of the effort is focused on building the nine-engine Helix first stage and conducting a full hot-fire test on the launch pad at SaxaVord Spaceport, Scotland.
SaxaVord Spaceport became the UK's first licensed vertical launch spaceport in December last year and received its license in April 2024 year. Since then, the CAA has been involved in an extensive monitoring program for the spaceport.
Source: https://www.adsadvance.co.uk/caa-approves-uk-s-first-vertical-launch.html