Startup Fire Arrow welcomes David Mackay, Scotland’s first man in space

StartupBeat Team
By StartupBeat Team July 21, 2025

Fire Arrow, a Glasgow-based startup developing next-generation spaceport infrastructure, has appointed David Mackay, former VP of Flight Operations at Virgin Galactic, onto their advisory board. The company’s mission is to provide affordable, sustainable and sovereign access to space, and Mackay’s involvement marks a significant step toward this goal.

As a globally respected aviation and spaceflight professional with an Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS) mindset, Mackay brings a wealth of expertise as Fire Arrow works towards operational readiness. What’s more, his background in test piloting experimental aircraft and commanding spacecraft embodies the startup’s mission to provide safe and sustainable access to space. 

Director Mick O’Connor adds that “David understands not just risk management, but risk anticipation. His input will be critical in embedding world-class flight safety into our CONOPS, human-centric design, launch protocols and range control systems from day one.”

Mick O’Connor. Image credit: LinkedIn.

Initially, Mackay will support the board to deliver existing spaceport programmes, as well as designing future programmes. He will also play a key role in engaging with international regulatory and safety authorities, aligning on certification and supervision, supporting sovereign launch collaboration initiatives and shaping the company’s global safety principles.

Fire Arrow believes that appointing Makcay will strengthen public trust and credibility with regulators, investors and government partners. With his involvement, Fire Arrow aims to demonstrate that they operate to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.

O’Conner adds that, “For regulators, it’s a vote of confidence in our governance culture, for customers, it underscores our technical depth, and for government partners, David’s presence affirms our commitment to building national infrastructure that is both secure and operationally capable.”

Fire Arrow is confident that David will help to sharpen their focus on human factors, system integrity and mission assurance, ensuring that every decision they make from spaceport layout to launch vehicle stacking is grounded in flight reality.

O’Connor concludes, “David’s guidance will ensure we’re not just designing infrastructure, but cultivating an ecosystem where sustainability and scalability go hand in hand. David knows what ‘good’ looks like, and [even more] crucially, what ‘safe’ feels like.”