The effort to launch the first satellite from Western Europe ended in disappointment as Virgin Orbit announced on January 10 that an “anomaly” prevented the rocket carrying the satellite from reaching orbit.
The United Kingdom successfully launches Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket in Newquay. (Photo: Reuters).
Amid cheers and applause from the crowd at Spaceport Cornwall, United Kingdom, the Boeing 747 aircraft named Cosmic Girl took off and headed toward the Atlantic Ocean on January 9. The aircraft successfully launched a rocket – called LauncherOne – carrying 9 satellites.
Virgin Orbit initially announced that the rocket had reached Earth’s orbit, according to The Guardian. “LauncherOne has successfully reached Earth’s orbit! Our mission is not over yet, but congratulations to the people of the United Kingdom! This is the first orbital mission on British soil, a significant achievement,” the company tweeted.
However, about 28 minutes later, the company issued a new statement: “It appears there is an anomaly preventing us from reaching orbit. We are continuing to assess the information.”
The Cosmic Girl aircraft returned safely to Cornwall. The Start Me Up mission was the first satellite launch from European soil and was announced as the beginning of a new space era for the United Kingdom.
According to Reuters, this failed launch is a significant setback for Europe’s space ambitions, following the unsuccessful launch of the Vega-C rocket carrying 2 satellites manufactured by Airbus from French Guiana just minutes after liftoff in December 2022.
