1999, Marconi sold the programme to a small private company, Sounding Rocket Services, based in Bristol. Beginning in 2018, Skyrora, a British aerospace & launch company, has developed and launched a new series of "Skylark" sounding rockets, reviving the name. They have launched from northern Scotland, where Shetland spaceport and Sutherland spaceport are being built, and also from Iceland. They plan to also develop a satellite launch vehicle which will launch from the UK, which will be a first for the country, which previously only launched satellites from Woomera, Australia. Description The basic Skylark is long, in diameter and has a fin span of . Booster stages can increase the height to . The original version was propelled by of solid fuel, which enabled to be launched to an altitude of over . Improvements were made to the engine and the use of a booster increased the payload to in 1960. Skylark 12, from 1976, could lift to altitude. Due to its small mass and low thrust, the original version of the Skylark had to be launched from a tilting tower to overcome the effects of the wind. Later versions only required a simple trailer. On display Skylark Rockets are on display in the following locations: University of Leicester, Department of Physics and Astronomy. (Skylark Raven (c. 1957)). National Space Centre in Leicester. (Skylark Goldfinch Raven). Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Surrey, England. (Skylark 7 (Goldfinch II, Raven XI)). Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, Visitor Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland. (Skylark Nosecone only). Rocketry Museum, Woomera, Australia (Skylark Nosecone only). Woomera Missile Park, Woomera, Australia (Cuckoo, Raven). The Euro Space Center in Belgium (Replica). QVMAG, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. Aerospace Bristol, Filton, Bristol, England. In the possession of Mexborough & Swinton Astronomical Society in South Yorkshire, England. Solna strandvag 86, Stockholm, Sweden. (Partly viewable from the waterfront). South Australian Aviation Museum Port Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Skylark (Raven), Skylark (Cuckoo, Raven) and Skylark Instrument section. See also Black Arrow Black Knight Blue Streak (missile) Skylark launch tower Skyrora Skylark References Citations Bibliography External links Skylark sounding rockets BBC News article on final launch 1957 in spaceflight 1967 in spaceflight 1974 in spaceflight Sounding rockets of the United Kingdom Space launch vehicles of the United Kingdom Suborbital spaceflight