The final licences needed for Virgin to launch from Spaceport Cornwall have been granted.
The launch operator and range control licences have been signed off by the Transport Secretary
The first orbital space launch from the UK will be another major milestone, according to theCAA.
There will be a launch from the spaceport in January.
The launch was delayed because of technical issues.
The company took all reasonable steps to make the launch activities safe.
Tim Johnson, director for space regulation at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: "This is another major milestone in enabling the very first orbital space launch from UK shores and these licences will assist VirginOrbit with their final preparations for launch."
The licences for each of the nine satellites are expected soon.
Jon Amos is a science correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation.
The business pulled together all the regulatory threads for the licence.
Virgin has had to pass a number of tests in order to demonstrate its rocket system is safe.
The Irish, Spanish and Portuguese governments needed to agree on the location of the launch.
The changeover of the prime minister made it difficult to get the nod from Dublin.
The rocket licence application will be processed within 18 months.
We were supposed to launch on 14 December, but this was pushed back because of a technical issue with one of the engines.
The rocket that was delivered to Newquay for the Cornwall launch had to be further inspected and assessed.
A further notice to aircraft and mariners will be issued once the company is satisfied that it is ready.
The licencing decision takes us one step closer to the first satellite take-off in the UK.
The completion of an enormous effort, which included the construction of new regulations, new processes and new teams, is what this marks.
The exact date for the launch has not been decided.
The head of Spaceport Cornwall said that they were excited for the licenses to be in place for the launch.
My team cannot wait to share in the excitement of the upcoming launch with everyone that has made it happen, as it has been an incredible effort by all partners to reach this milestone.
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