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Post by Admin on Jan 9, 2023 22:41:23 GMT
Final preparations are under way ahead of the first orbital space launch from UK soil.
The mission will see a repurposed 747 jumbo jet release a rocket over the Atlantic to take nine satellites high above the Earth.
If it succeeds, it will be a major milestone for UK space, marking the birth of a home-grown launch industry.
A historic rocket - that will blast satellites into space - is set to launch from Spaceport Cornwall at Newquay Airport.
A modified Virgin Boeing 747 with a 21-metre rocket attached to its wing will take off from Newquay tonight in a historic moment for the country's first spaceport.
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Post by Admin on Jan 10, 2023 17:34:16 GMT
The first ever satellite mission launched from UK soil has ended in failure. A jumbo jet operated by the American Virgin Orbit company carried a rocket out of Newquay, Cornwall, to release it high over the Atlantic Ocean. The rocket ignited and appeared to be ascending correctly. But word then came from the company that the rocket had suffered an "anomaly". The satellites it was carrying could not be released and were lost. Cosmic Girl, the carrier 747 jet, returned safely to base.  As it happened: UK space mission suffers rocket 'anomaly' The mission had been billed as a major milestone for UK space, marking the birth of a home-grown launch industry. The ambition is to turn the country into a global player - from manufacturing satellites, to building rockets and creating new spaceports. Deputy CEO of the UK Space Agency, Ian Annett, said it showed "how difficult" getting into orbit actually was - but predicted further launches within the next 12 months. "We get up, we go back, we try again, that's what defines us," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. |
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