Britain gave the green light to Rocket Factory Augsburg to launch satellites from a site in northern Scotland on Thursday, potentially paving the way for regular commercial space missions from European soil.
Following the granting of the licence, German company RFA's 30 metre tall rocket has permission to take satellites into orbit. That is expected to happen in the third quarter of this year, a person familiar with the timing of the launch said.
Britain has for years been looking to add launch capabilities to its booming space industry which employs over 45,000 and builds more satellites than anywhere outside the United States.
But the country's efforts to gain a foothold were dealt a major blow two years ago when a horizontal rocket launch from Newquay, south-west England failed.
A successful vertical launch later this year would revive the industry's prospects.
Britain's Civil Aviation Authority said its first ever vertical launch licence permitted the rocket to launch from SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands, adding that it would continue to carry out safety monitoring in the coming months.
"This is a landmark moment for RFA, SaxaVord and the UK space sector and moves the dial one step closer towards the first commercial vertical space launch in the United Kingdom," Aviation Minister Mike Kane said in a statement.
A number of conditions need to be met before the launch can take place, including securing insurance and making sure international agreements with other countries are in place, the CAA said.
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