Skyrora XL completes second stage static fire test

Discover Space UK at Machrihanish Airbase hosted the biggest integrated stage test to be held in the UK since those of Black Arrow and Blue Streak in the 1970s. The milestone moves Skyrora closer to entering commercial operations, with an inaugural orbital launch scheduled for 2023 from the SaxaVord Space Centre in northern Scotland.

The test involves hot firing the second stage engine to prove the vehicle’s operational capability for its intended payloads and ensuring its performance meets all design requirements. 

Skyrora said it was successfully completed with all systems nominal through the 20-second burn, and the single 70kN liquid engine operated within design margins, achieving the expected thrust.

Lee Rosen, Skyrora COO Col (USAF, Ret) and former SpaceX VP, said: “The static fire test looks, sounds and feels a lot like a rocket launch, but without lifting off! This hugely successful test was a definitive demonstration of our mobility and flexibility. Our Skyrora team went from clean tarmac to a full static fire test in just 2.5 days, bringing all the necessary equipment from our factory in Cumbernauld and test site near Gorebridge”.