Thought I’d write up some notes from the British Interplanetary Society talk yesterday evening by Dr. Mykhailo Andriievskyi, from Skyrora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Skyrora are a British space launch company based in Cumbernauld, Scotland. Founded in 2017, their aim to launch small satellites into orbit from a UK launch site. In 2025 they became the first UK-based manufacturer to receive a launch licence for a commercial launch vehicle. These licenses are granted by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and qualification is extremely time consuming, not to mention expensive. They have a test site south of Edinburgh in a disused quarry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Skyroras first launch attempt was a Skylark L from Langanesbyggd in Iceland in 2022. Although not entirely successful (a guidance failure led to an early shut down and the rocket ditching in the sea about 500m from the launch site) it demonstrated the benefits of the modular launch complex design, meaning the complex could be built in 7 days and once disassembled there was little to no evidence they had ever been there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Mykhailo Andriievskyi is the Head of the Propulsion Department at Skyrora. Joining Skyrora at its inception, Dr. Andriievskyi has been responsible for developing a series of kerosene based rocket motors to meet the requirements of Skyroras launch vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Andriievskyi began by apologising for his Ukrainian\/Scottish accent, a double whammy for us soft southerners in the audience! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Starting with an infographic describing the 3 engines developed. the LEO engine designed for the Skylark XL with 3.5KN of thrust, the Skylark L engine developing 30KN of thrust, and the Skyforce-2 developing 70KN of thrust. This latter engine is destined to provide both first and second stage propulsion for the Skylark XL launch vehicle. Dr. Andriievskyi explained that using the same engine for both these stages not only reduces the development time but also reduces the testing costs. The larger the engine, the larger the exclusion zone required around the test site due to the additional fuel. Anything larger than the current designs would require a 1.2Km exclusion zone round the test area. It also means only having to certify one engine instead of two. The compromise of course is a reduced lift capability in the first stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking of certification, regulations for large rocket engines were treated the same as small rocket engines in terms of testing and qualification for flight. So one of Skyrora managements first tasks was to try and get the UK government and the CAA to change this approach among other requests. Dr. Andriievskyi stated during questions later that Skyrora basically annoyed the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the CAA until they capitulated. This was helped along by the now defunct UK Space Agency, space related aeronautical license decisions are now fully back under the CAA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Skyrora XL is designed to be capable of lifting 2-4 small satellites into orbit, with a payload capability of 400Kg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So far Skyrora has manufactured 17 engines, they must complete 5 more to satisfy the qualification requirements. The test site south of Edinburgh is currently being upgraded, presumably to allow testing of the Skyforce-2 engine. Initial tests were carried out at Spaceport Cornwall, but the larger engines needed more space for testing so the site was moved to an MOD location near Edinburgh. Presumably this was at Rosyth in Fife. However nine months later the MOD needed the site back so they could flood it to start work on docks to build submarines under contract, so Skyrora had to dismantle and relocate the test site once again. Dr. Andriievskyi said that the modular design of their test stand assisted with this. Each sub-system for the engine test is built into a separate shipping container. This allows them to separate the modules and then re-integrate quickly, and upgrade individual components. It also means the modules can be constructed away from the unpredictable weather, further reducing cost and improving conditions for staff. Prior to moving to the current test site, newts were discovered inhabiting the area. There was some concern that they could have been great crested newts which would have put a complete stop to the development as they are strictly protected here in the UK (it was hard to make out but Dr. Andriievskyi referred to them as royal newts, but there is no such species in the UK). As it turned out they were the more common smooth newt, but this still led to a \u00a310k bill to capture and relocate the newts elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A number of questions were asked during the Q&A session. One of these was why Skyrora are uses an 88% concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) as an oxidiser rather than the 91% concentration used more commonly in space applications like Reaction Control Systems or indeed in the engines that powered the Black Arrow satellite launcher developed by the British in the 1960s.). Although this seems like a technical question, the answer is more prosaic. 91% H2O2 otherwise known as high test peroxide (HTP) is more difficult and expensive to transport as it requires, amongst other things, a Police escort. 88% H2O2 on the other hand can be moved as simply as any other hazardous chemical. It is also stable at room temperature so requires no special insulation or cryogenics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another question referred to the choice of Iceland for the initial launch. Dr. Andriievskyi explained this was down to the Icelandic government being far more relaxed than the UK government. He said their only requirement was to fire north and not hit any whales. I suspect this was a little flippant but compared to the 4 years it takes to get launch approval in the UK it’s clearly an important element in the choice of launch sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One interesting question was whether Skyrora were looking at a landing capability for their rockets. This is not possible on the Skylark XL as the propellant requirement to restart the rocket and bring it to a controlled landing would reduce the payload capacity from 400Kg to just 150Kg. The next rocket in development will have a payload rating closer to 6 tonnes, so retaining enough propellant to land the rocket becomes an option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Andriievskyi also answered a question related to concerns around fragmentation of spent rocket stages, otherwise known as space junk. The 1st and 2nd stages are not a concern as their lower altitude means they will naturally fall back to Earth. The third stage of Skylark XL, which incidentally is complete awaiting the 1st and 2nd stages to be completed, retains enough fuel to fire its engine for 25 seconds, which would be enough to pull it out of orbit so it too would fall back into the ocean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall the evening was a fascinating view into the work that Skyrora and in particular Dr. Andriievskyi and his team are doing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about Skyrora here: Who We Are | Skyrora<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n