Overview of British Spaceflight

Are you interested in learning how the Brits are doing in spaceflight? You have come to the right place. This article will cover multiple areas of how the UK is doing in spaceflight as a whole, including spaceports and upcoming rocket companies aiming to get into orbit by 2024-2025. 

Where did British spaceflight start?

British spaceflight started in the mid-1960s, with the first British satellite being launched on US Delta 9 on April 26, 1962. The first British satellite was part of the Ariel program and was named Ariel 1. There were six satellites launched from the Ariel program, lasting until 1979.

Images: Delta 9 on the launch of Ariel 1, and Ariel 1. Credit: Wikimedia, NASA

In 1971, Black Arrow R3 launched the satellite Prospero into a low-earth orbit; it took three attempts for Black Arrow to succeed, until they cancelled the Black Arrow program entirely and moved over to the cheaper US rockets.

So where does British spaceflight stand now?

British spaceflight is on the rise once again, this time launching from its homeland, the UK.

Spaceports

There are currently 7 spaceports planned to be made for the UK, 3 spaceports are vertical, and the other 4 are horizontal. Two spaceports in the UK that are operational at the time of writing, Spaceport Cornwall and SaxaVord Spaceport, Snowdonia, will be used for Astraius launches in the future.

Credit: aerosociety.com

Spaceport Cornwall

Starting with the horizontal spaceport located in the southwest of England, Spaceport Cornwall has been known for hosting the first and last Virgin Orbit UK launch.

Image: Virgin Orbits LauncherOne getting prepared for launch Credit: spacenews.com

The failed launch at Spaceport Cornwall happened on January 9, 2023. Everything for the rocket, launcherone, was going nominal until failure occurred with the second stage, which happened to be a dislodged fuel filter, failing to ignite the engine, and not getting the satellites into orbit. After the failed launch of LauncherOne in Cornwall, Virgin Orbit eventually went bankrupt, going defunct on May 22, 2023.

So where does Spaceport Cornwall stand today?

Spaceport Cornwall still stands on top of the others for horizontal spaceflight and has multiple companies launching from there in the future, including Skylon and space engine systems. Sierra Space partnered with Spaceport Cornwall, making the Spaceport a landing site for the upcoming spaceplane dreamchaser.

Images: Skylon, and the hello-1X concepts. Credit: SpaceEngineSystems, reactionengines

SaxaVord Spaceport

SaxaVord Spaceport is located on the Shetland Islands, in Unst, and is getting ready for launch in late August or early September. SaxaVord plans to have 3 pads in operation, with Launch Pad Fredo, Calum, and Elizabeth being the biggest. The current launch providers are: RFA, Hyimpulse, ABL, Jaxa, Skyrora, and Astra (failed).

RFA is expected to be the first to launch from SaxaVord, already doing static fires from launch pad Fredo, to get ready for its maiden flight.

Image: RFA first stage firing Credit: RFA

If you want to read more about RFA click here: RFA Article

Skyrora

Skyrora is a UK-based rocket company, inspiring their technology off of Black Arrow. Skyrora have attempted to launch their Skyrora L rocket in Iceland but failed due to software issues. They are currently developing their Skyrora XL rocket, which is fully reusable. Currently, they have completed tests on their Skyrora XL second stage as well as the third, and they are currently looking to accomplish a static fire of their first stage at SaxaVord.

Skyrora XL can deliver a payload mass of up to 315 kg with a total kn of 630. Using 9 engines in total, the fuel Skyrora XL uses is the same as what Black Arrow used: hydrogen peroxide (kerosene).

Images: Skyrora XL, 70kn qualification test Credit: Skyrora

Orbex

Orbex is another UK-based company, aiming to be the most environmentally friendly. Orbex Prime uses fuel that is used in barbecues! (bioLPG), has seven engines in total for its first stage, and can deliver a payload mass of up to 180 kg. Orbex is currently in the process of making spaceport Sutherland, but is very far behind compared to its competitor, SaxaVord.

Image: Orbex prime static fire. Credit: Orbex

BlackArrowSpaceTechnologies

BlackArrowSpaceTechnologies, or BAST for short, is another UK-based rocket company trying to achieve launches from ships. There is not a lot of progress on BAST, but they have recently shown the test of their second-stage engine. There is no confirmed date for when they will launch, but it is estimated that it will be either late 2025 or 2026.

Images: Second stage engine test, Black Arrow 2 launch Credit: BlackArrowSpaceTechnologies

Astraius

Astraius is another UK-based rocket company dedicated to launching horizontal rockets from a C17 Globemaster. They will be launching from Spaceport Snowdonia, which is currently still in development. There is also no confirmed launch date for Astraius, but it will probably be in mid-2025-2026.

Image: Astraius’ rocket leaving its carrier to launch into space. Credit: Astraius

Wrap up

So now that you know how far British spaceflight has come, is there anything you would like to see happen in the future on UK soil? 

It's been a fun one, and I will see you in the next one. This is Ownitt, signing out.