A ROCKET engine test site launching in Rosyth is set to create more than 170 jobs in the next 10 years.

Skyrora expects 170 jobs to be created by 2030 in manufacturing and operations, ranging from mechanical engineering to electronics for avionics systems.

The company has established an engine test complex at an undisclosed location where it already has tested its 3.5kN engine and three-tonne engine for its sub-orbital and orbital rockets successfully.

Volodymyr Levykin, chief executive officer of Skyrora, said: “The opening of our engine test complex represents a giant leap forward for the UK’s ambitions as a space nation and Scotland’s status as a space hub.

"The location and additional jobs will benefit the UK space industry and help the overall economy grow.

"It will also allow Skyrora’s highly-skilled workforce and a young generation of engineers and technicians to be a part of this space revolution.

"Skyrora has developed and come so far as a team and a company, and I am really proud to see how many milestones we have achieved in a short period of time."

Skyrora say their engine test complex layout is minimal and consists mainly of a fuel and oxidiser loading system to put fuel into both tanks and a pressure supply system to feed the fuel to the engine in the test stand.

The private launch vehicle firm – headquartered in Edinburgh – also built the actual test stand, the road to access the test site and the concrete slab for the site to sit on.