Robin Hague, Head of Launch, gave a fascinating introduction to ‘Skyrora’, Edinburgh’s local rocket company and described how it is taking a more sustainable approach to rocketry.
Alan Pickup described the highlights of the night sky in March and the opportunities for our imagers to add to the Society’s catalogues.
Andrew welcomed everyone to the meeting and talked about the society’s ‘4 Steps to the Stars’ outreach programme. Prof. Andy Lawrence then gave a brief overview of his new book ‘Losing the Sky’, concerning the impact of satellite mega constellations.
Robin Hague talked through the different rockets constructed by Skyrora and the testing and evaluation process the company has undertaken. Great emphasis has been placed on a more sustainable approach by using fuel made from recycled plastics and building a ‘Containerised’ launch system. We were told the resulting environmental impact of Skyrora’s launches is significantly lower than more traditional approaches. With ‘Containerisation’ they are providing mobility and flexibility to getting to the right launch site with the necessary weather window. Robin also talked through the testing and development process undertaken, from the first and smallest of their rockets to the current engine testing of their largest multistage rocket.
Alan talked us through the main aspects of what the night sky has to offer in March as the nights begin to shorten.