Holmes Mackillop director and Head of Corporate Ralph Riddiough said the granting of an official licence for spaceflight by the regulator to the German company which aims to be the first to launch a satellite from the most northerly tip in the UK signals that Scotland’s space sector is ready for take-off.
The decision from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the final significant piece of regulatory approval needed for Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) to launch from SaxaVord Spaceport on Unst; the northernmost of the Shetland Islands.
RFA’s first test flight, which it hopes to carry out this year, would be the first vertical launch of a satellite from European soil and it is the first company to receive a licence for this type of launch.
“This is a milestone moment in the UK’s journey as a major player in the space industry, which is a key strategic sector for the UK and Scotland in particular,” said Riddiough.
“Scotland’s opportunities are considerable, with no fewer than five spaceports in development, and the granting of an official licence for spaceflight means that the prospect of the first orbital launch from Scottish soil is now real.”
Riddiough predicts that a revolution is imminent with the advent of new technologies allowing connection via satellite, an area in which there is a fortune to be made from the emerging direct to device – D2D – market.
“The prize is huge: uninterrupted mobile coverage anywhere on Earth, particularly beneficial in remote areas out of range of the usual terrestrial networks,” he said.
“And as companies race to be part of this exciting new D2D market, the ability to protect themselves and their technology – their intellectual property – is critical.
“There are various types of IP protection from copyright to trademarks to patents, the latter of particular relevance here, as are proper employment contracts which prevent staff from leaking sensitive and valuable information about manufacturing, processes and products.
“New technologies mean new challenges and it’s exciting to contemplate the huge benefits they will bring as well as the legal consequences and framework needed to govern them.”
