Skyrora the Edinburgh-based launch vehicle developer has been crowned the best business in the city at a prestigious award ceremony.
The company won the “Best Business in Edinburgh” award at the Scottish SME Business Awards, designed to commend businesses and entrepreneurs across the country for pushing the boundaries of innovation and imagination.
The rocket company which won the public vote is headquartered on Princes Street and has recently opened a new production facility nearby.
Daniel Smith, Director at Skyrora said: “It’s an honour to be recognised by The Scottish SME Business Awards. There’s a lot of work ahead for us, but it’s great to know there’s so much interest and support for what we’re doing.”
“The award was a real boost for the whole team. We’re very proud of our roots in Scotland’s capital and the nation’s key position in respect to the UK and wider European commercial space sector.”
The win comes as Skyrora continues preparations for its upcoming test launch missions, with two vehicles already fully assembled and another in the pipeline as they move quickly towards their goal of creating the capability to launch small satellites into Low Earth Orbit from the UK.
A spokesperson for the Scottish SME Business Awards 2019 said: “SME businesses play a vital role in Scotland’s economy and we feel that it is of great importance to recognise the drive and commitment of the individuals and organisations who have established a profitable business”
Skyrora’s upcoming launches will allow their team to gain more valuable experience, with their final two test rockets capable of reaching the edge of space, a feat never accomplished by a private company launching from the UK before.
The company has grown to over 120 staff in less than two years with production facilities and R&D centres stretched across four countries. The space firm is aligned with UK Government and UK Space Agency plans to launch rockets from a new spaceport in Scotland – and is bidding to become the primary UK-based provider.
Skyrora draws on Britain’s previous launch heritage through the Black Arrow and Skylark programmes and aims to develop a local supply chain
while creating new employment opportunities to inspire the next generation of
talent. Earlier this year it unveiled the first stage of Black Arrow – the only British launch vehicle to reach orbit in 1971 – which it brought back to the UK from its landing spot in the Australian outback for educational outreach purposes.
