'Home-grown' rocket company Skyrora in UK space sector first
Read more:
'It is essential that the UK has sovereign launch capabilities," he added. "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.'
Set up in 2017, the Skyrora rocket business and its parent company Skyrora Ventures are owned by Mr Levykin and "family and friends" who have financed operations to date. The company's SkyLark L vehicle will carry payloads of up to 50 kilograms on behalf of commercial operators such as telecommunications providers.
The company has not given an expected date for its first journey into space, but noted that SkyLark L is "operationally ready for launch".
Skyrora chief executive Volodymyr Levykin says sovereign UK launch capability is essential (Image: Syyrora)
'Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora, its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation," said Rob Bishton, chief executive of the CAA. "Our work as the UK's space regulator is enabling the burgeoning launch industry to safely grow, bringing new jobs and investment with it.'
It has been estimated that by 2030, the international market for launch, satellite, payload and space data services will be worth $1 trillion (£772 billion) annually. Scotland aims to capture about £4bn of this.
"This launch licence isn't just one giant leap for Skyrora – it's a massive boost to the whole of Scotland and the wider UK's space sector," Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said.
"Becoming the first British company to manufacture and send a rocket into space from the UK will be a hugely significant moment. I'm very proud that Scotland is at the forefront of such pioneering technology and I look forward to blast off from SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
26 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Why loss of Kate Forbes will be bigger blow than SNP may realise
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... As we reveal today, the Scottish Government spent £1.3 million of taxpayers' money on a report into the idea of a minimum income guarantee, despite not having the authority to introduce it and seemingly knowing it was 'doomed to fail'. The question is, therefore, why would they do this. The answer, as ever with the SNP, is simple: the pursuit of independence, the guiding light behind too many decisions in government. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Wanting to appear progressive and to the left of Labour, they clearly felt the need to seem sympathetic to the idea of a minimum income. Commissioning a report was a way to signal this. Of course, the SNP may argue that it is a policy which could be considered in an independent Scotland and that the money was as well spent as that used to produce the Scottish Government's near-forgotten 'independence papers'. On the latter point, we would not disagree. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has announced she is standing down at the next Holyrood election (Picture: Paul Campbell) | Getty Images Dreamers vs pragmatists However, any such justification would only highlight what should be considered as a fundamental dividing line within the party – between the dreamers who think selling a vision of a promised land is the best way to achieve independence and the pragmatists who recognise it is important to run Scotland well in the here and now. The decision of Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, a pragmatist with at least a degree of understanding of the needs of business, to stand down at the next election will therefore be a blow not just to the SNP government but to Scotland as a whole. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The simple truth is that there is no prospect of another referendum, let alone independence itself, while support remains at its current level. Selling dubious visions of the future is an easy, glib and ultimately empty way of trying to increase it.
Scotsman
26 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Scottish vanilla growers set to 'disrupt' global supply chain
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... For anyone that enjoys home baking as much as I do, the advancement and availability in vanilla - from small plastic bottles of synthetic flavouring to thin tubes of pods - has been a welcome addition to the kitchen cupboard. But this classic flavouring, which comes from specific orchids, has always been imported from far flung lands. Until now. Aberdeenshire-based Vanilla Farms, founded by Gillian and Joe Lane, have commenced production of the first batch of Scottish vanilla, meaning they are leading the way in sustainable, science-led vanilla production. The firm recently secured the top prize of £150,000 at Scottish EDGE Round 25, backed by Scottish Enterprise, in recognition of its potential to transform the natural flavour industry. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While the north east of Scotland is known for its soft fruits and farming , you wouldn't think this would be the place for growing vanilla. But it is this heritage that makes it the ideal spot, said Mrs Lane, who explained that it all sprang from ice cream. She said: 'The idea for the business came almost five years ago, when we realised how difficult it was for brands to secure high quality, consistent vanilla. Joe was working as an operations director at a leading ice cream company at the time, and vanilla was a constant supply chain challenge. Vanilla Farms vanilla pods | contributed 'It's one of the highest value crops in the world, and yet the market is opaque and volatile. We saw an opportunity to create something much better – not just from a sourcing perspective, but in how vanilla is grown, cured and presented. 'Scotland might seem like an unlikely place to grow vanilla, but we're actually leveraging its precision agriculture expertise and world-class flavour innovation support to transform what vanilla can be – from source to final flavour.' 'Vanilla is typically associated with tropical regions like Madagascar and Mexico. But what people don't often realise is that the vanilla orchid is a highly sensitive plant, and it thrives under very specific conditions – the kind we can replicate through advanced, total-controlled indoor farming. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We've been growing vanilla planifolia orchids for four years here in Scotland and are currently in the final R&D phase of growing vanilla using proprietary systems that recreate the perfect environment for these plants. 'We want to make sure our operations are energy efficient, scalable and year-round. Our goal is to introduce homegrown Scottish vanilla to the world – a world first – and this location actually gives us the ability to control and optimise every element of the growth and curing process with extraordinary precision.' For those keen to try this Scottish vanilla, the first batch is currently curing and will be available within a matter of weeks. Mrs Lane explained who the company would be supplying: 'We're focused on high-end culinary, fragrance, and cosmetic markets – customers who truly care about quality, traceability, and flavour. This includes chefs, artisan producers, and formulators in beauty and wellness who want to showcase vanilla as a primary ingredient, not just a background note. 'Our batch-led model will also enable consumers to trace each bean back to its origin – whether that's Uganda, Indonesia, or eventually our own farm here in Scotland – and understand the story behind its flavour.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The company's 'disruptive model' incorporates ethical sourcing and proprietary technology to deliver consistently high-quality, sustainable vanilla. They are setting out to upend the global supply chain by flipping the supply chain model, which Mrs Lane explained, saying: 'Vanilla production has changed very little in the last 500 years. Much of it is still cured in the country of origin with shelf life as the priority, which often compromises flavour. We've flipped that model on its head by bringing the curing process to Scotland and starting with the end user in mind: what do top chefs want? What do luxury fragrance and beauty brands need? 'Our scientific curing approach allows us to lock in more moisture and preserve a greater complexity of flavour. Every bean is cured in our purpose-built facility, then batch-labelled, numbered, and paired with tasting notes– much like single origin chocolate or fine wine. 'We work directly with growers in Uganda, Indonesia, Mexico, and beyond, forming ethical, regenerative partnerships. By taking the delicate curing process into our own hands in Scotland, we help farmers focus on cultivation reducing supply chain complexity. We are not in this for short term gains – our partnerships with farmers will allow them to do what they do best and is a lifetime opportunity for them to develop meaningful and consistent supply chains with Scotland. Our small-holder farmer partnerships enable us to bring in fresh vanilla here every week due to the diversity of our supply chain across equatorial regions. 'Vanilla Planifolia is an 'at risk' plant – our business will also protect this high value crop for the future, creating benefits for everyone in the vanilla industry worldwide.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad L-R Kevin Walls, Gillian Lane, Gillian Martin MSP, Joe Lane | contributed As for what it tastes like? Forget the little bottle of synthetic flavouring, or even the overly perfumed sweet gel-like paste. Mrs Lane likens their vanilla to whisky, it's something worth waiting for. She said: 'That it's unlike anything they've had before. Most vanilla is a commodity, either over-processed or synthetic and robbed of its full flavour potential. Natural vanilla incorporates more than 250 flavour compounds and we're bringing them back to life. 'Our vanilla is rich in aroma, layered in flavour, and tells the story of where it came from. Every batch is cured with scientific precision, allowing its unique terroir to shine– whether that's from the volcanic soils of Indonesia or our own R&D facility here in Scotland. And like expertly matured single malt Scotch whisky, we will only release each batch when the flavour is extraordinary. 'We want people to experience vanilla in its purest form - not as a background note, but as a true hero ingredient. 'Scotland has a legacy of world-class ingredients and craft, from whisky to salmon. We want vanilla to be part of that story. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'For us, being a high-impact business means reimagining how one of the world's most cherished ingredients is grown, cured, and celebrated – while creating fairer, more regenerative supply chains and bringing advanced agricultural innovation to Scotland.
Scotsman
26 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Union demands SNP and UK ministers act over Cesscon Decom energy firm collapse and 'decimated' industries
Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Union bosses have warned Scotland's two governments the impending closure of a key oil and gas decommissioning firm is proof plans for a just transition for energy workers are falling flat without jobs being 'decimated with no viable alternatives'. The GMB union has branded Livingston-based Cesscon Decom closing its doors as 'a worst-of-all-worlds outcome'. Jobs are poised to be lost, with staff potentially unable to obtain Universal Credit. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cesscon Decom has told staff it faced ceasing trading | Contributed The Scotsman reported the chief executive of Cesscon, Lee Hanlon, emailed staff to tell them the company, which dismantles and recycles defunct offshore infrastructure, faces going into liquidation, with around 20 staff at risk of losing their jobs. It has now emerged the decommissioning firm is subject to a wind-up petition at Livingston Sheriff Court. Louise Gilmour, secretary of GMB Scotland, has penned a letter to SNP Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, warning about the situation at Cesscon and the wider just transition. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In her letter, seen by The Scotsman, Ms Gilmour has cautioned the two governments 'the current status of Cesscon Decom Ltd needs to be investigated and clarified', as well as 'the use of public money given how much has been invested'. 'Our members have not received any wages since May,' she wrote. 'The firm has also not made payments into the pension funds since November 2023 despite making deductions to our members' payslips up to June 2025. 'Thousands are owed to our members who are being left in the lurch by Mr Hanlon.' GMB Scotland secretary Louise Gilmour. Picture: Andrew Cawley Ms Gilmour stressed that 'as a result of not being formally made redundant', workers are also 'unable to claim Universal Credit putting them into hardship'. She has called for 'urgent assistance' in obtaining social security for the workers involved. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In May, a warning was issued that the oil and gas sector was 'sleepwalking into an unjust transition'. A report from the Just Transition Commission highlighted "urgent and ambitious action, investment and government leadership" was needed. Ms Gilmour said: 'It is just months since the fabrication yard at Methil was saved after the promises of a 'just transition' failed to materialise yet again. 'Millions of pounds of public funds have been put into Cesscon and developing the Methil site. It was heralded as a key component in the 'just transition'. Its closure is becoming an all too typical part of the story in Scotland's 'just transition'.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She added: 'North Sea jobs are being decimated, with no viable alternatives in renewable energy, whilst even jobs in decommissioning are being lost. This is a worst-of-all-worlds outcome. 'The site at Methil is fit for purpose. We have rigs that need to be decommissioned, and more importantly, it has a workforce ready and able. There is no reason why decommissioning work cannot continue at the site. However, it will require political leaders to urgently broker a deal for the lease of the site and further contracts.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Funding to regenerate a derelict site into an industrial unit was provided to Fife Council. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The council has indicated that the land, which is owned by Scottish Enterprise, was leased to Cesscon Decom on commercial terms and that the improvements made to the site remain in place and continue to represent a valuable asset for future use by other operators at the Energy Park in Methil." A UK government spokesperson said: "We understand this will be a deeply concerning time for the workers and their families. The UK government worked at pace to retain Harland & Wolff at the Methil site and will continue to work on delivering a fair and prosperous transition in our energy sector."
