The UK has granted its first space launch licence to the Skyrora rocket company, based in Cumbernauld.
The licence paves the way for the Scottish firm to send satellites into space.
Skyrora would be able to conduct up to 16 launches a year, subject to further approval by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the regulator said on Tuesday.
Skyrora would use the SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands, which received a key safety licence last year.
However, SaxaVord has told Skyrora that there is no availability for a launch in 2025, the Financial Times reported.
Skyrora CEO Volodymyr Levykin said in a statement to Reuters the firm’s priority was to launch from Britain — but it expected a delay.
“Despite having a vehicle ready and a launch license, it is unlikely that Skyrora will be able to complete its launch from the UK this year,” Levykin said.
He said Skyrora has options to launch from Australia, Oman and potentially Iceland as well.
Germany’s Rocket Factory Augsburg was the first company to gain a licence to launch from the SaxaVord site earlier this year.
“Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation,” said CAA CEO Rob Bishton.
Skyrora CEO Levykin said: “Becoming the first homegrown company in the UK to receive a launch operator licence is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at Skyrora. We are pleased to be able to move forward with our launch plans.
“Given that operators like us, alongside the CAA, have been forging a new path, the journey to getting our UK licence has been a long but ultimately rewarding one. Safety is paramount to us, and so we are grateful to the CAA for its diligence in ensuring any launch activity is held to the highest of standards.
“It is essential that the UK has sovereign launch capabilities. Not only to unlock commercial activity for companies that need to access space and to help achieve the government’s objectives for becoming a global player in the space sector, but also from a strategic defence consideration.
“Skyrora is proud to be leading efforts that enable launch activity from the UK and we look forward to achieving a reliable commercial launch programme that benefits us all.”
Scottish Government Business Minister Richard Lochhead said: “Securing the UK’s first launch operator licence is a landmark moment in Skyrora’s plans to become the first company in the UK to build and launch a rocket into space.
“It is also a significant milestone and a hugely exciting development for the space sector in Scotland, with Skyrora’s partnership with Saxavord spaceport in Shetland meaning we move a step closer to the prospect of a Scottish-headquartered company launching a rocket into space from a Scottish spaceport.”