Skyrora reports its latest launch attempt resulted in the company’s Skylark L suborbital rocket crashing into the Norwegian Sea 500 meters away from its launch site in Langanes, Iceland.
The Scotland-based company said the booster suffered an anomaly after liftoff from the mobile launch platform. Skyrora did not identify what caused the rocket to crash.
“No people or wildlife were harmed in any way, and recovery of the vehicle is currently ongoing. Multiple tracking systems as well as boats and aeroplanes have been employed to optimise the recovery process,” the company said in a press release.
Despite the failure, Skyrora said the failed flight marked “another milestone on its way to commercial viability and the first vertical orbital launch from UK soil in 2023.” The launch team was able to test “critical processes and components” for the larger Skyrora XL rocket.
Skylark L is 11 meters tall and designed to reach an altitude of 125 km. The suborbital rocket is being used as a test bed for technology that will be incorporated into the Skyrora XL booster.
