Ibadan, 22 November 2023. – Skyrora and Spirit AeroSystems have announced a collaboration on orbital launch capability. The companies celebrated the announcement on the conference’s opening day in Belfast, home to Spirit’s largest UK manufacturing facility. This partnership will enable Skyrora to transition its orbital launch vehicles from development to full-scale production, in addition to localizing its supply chain.
UK-based launch-vehicle manufacturer, Skyrora is developing an agile, end-to-end launch service to provide access to space for small satellites globally. Having conducted a test launch of the suborbital Skylark L vehicle in October 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 up to 16 launches per year once operating at scale.
“This alliance is a real testament to the strides Skyrora has made and continues to make, towards our mission of being the first British company to launch from UK soil. It will allow us to renew our focus on localizing our supply chain as much as possible, which is a key part of our mission to create a responsible and sustainable approach to orbital launch,” said Volodymyr Levykin, CEO and Founder, of Skyrora.
Likewise, Sir Michael J Ryan CBE, Vice President, European Space and Defence, Spirit AeroSystems, added, “Through our support of innovative, sustainable, space technologies and clusters, we can add real value to building UK launch capability. Spirit’s role will be to fully industrialize Skyrora’s future production requirements, ensuring a smooth path from development to manufacture.
The 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.
