HyImpulse

Space Launch · Propulsion Technology

Milestone

HyImpulse secures UK launch operator licence for SaxaVord Spaceport

Clearing this regulatory hurdle puts a paraffin-fueled rocket maker on track for the first vertical launch from European soil in 2027.

• HyImpulse received a UK launch operator licence from the Civil Aviation Authority, clearing the way for its first suborbital flight from SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland, targeted for spring 2027.
• The German startup, based in Neuenstadt am Kocher, builds rockets using a hybrid propulsion system that burns paraffin wax with liquid oxygen instead of conventional liquid or solid fuel.
• The licence covers HyImpulse's SR75 suborbital research rocket and lays the regulatory groundwork for its future SL1 orbital vehicle, which is designed to carry satellites up to 600 kg.
• HyImpulse flight-tested its propulsion system in Australia roughly two years ago and received €45 million in 2025 funding, a third of it from the investment vehicle of Lidl founder Dieter Schwarz, to develop its next, larger rocket.
• HyImpulse and the CAA still need to complete final operational steps before SR75 can fly, with liftoff expected as early as spring 2027.
• The licence positions HyImpulse to become the first operator to launch a rocket vertically from European soil, a symbolic step in Europe's push for independent space access.