Skyrora and Spirit AeroSystems have announced a collaboration on orbital launch capability — the companies celebrated the announcement in Belfast, home to Spirit’s largest UK manufacturing facility.
UK-based, launch-vehicle manufacturer Skyrora is developing an agile, end-to-end, launch service to provide access to space for smallsats across the globe.. Having conducted a test launch of the suborbital Skylark L vehicle in October of 2022, as part of the company’s incremental learning approach to launch, Skyrora is well on track to become the first UK company to vertically launch satellites from the UK, expecting to conduct as many as 16 launches per year once operating at scale.
The UK Government has made orbital launch a key priority, with the National Space Strategy outlining plans to secure an increased portion of a global space economy expected to be worth £490 billion by 2030.
Spirit’s presence in UK space is growing. Its broad offering of highly adaptive manufacturing and testing solutions in metallics and composites, at both its Scotland and Northern Ireland facilities, brings significant industrial capacity to Skyrora’s launch proposition. Leveraging Spirit’s aerostructures expertise, the companies will explore opportunities to transition Skyrora’s orbital launch vehicles from development to full-scale production.
Collaborative goals also include the research of space technologies, particularly in additive manufacturing. Skyrora will provide Spirit with access to Skyprint 2, the largest in-house hybrid 3D printer of its kind in Europe. Located in Skyrora’s manufacturing facility just outside Glasgow, Scotland, research enabled by Skyprint 2 has the potential to unlock a localized supply chain to reduce costs and lead times for Spirit, bolster industrial cooperation, and promote growth within the UK space sector.