Virgin Orbit, a spaceflight company owned by Richard Branson, attempted to launch nine small satellites from a repurposed Boeing 747 jet, dubbed “Cosmic Girl”, on Monday. The jet took off from Newquay in England’s Cornwall county, 245 miles west of London, and the launch was cheered on by airport workers, area residents, and government officials.
However, the launch was unsuccessful. Christopher Relf, director of systems engineering and verification for Virgin Orbit, said in a live stream that “it appears that LauncherOne has suffered an anomaly which will prevent us from making orbit for this mission.”
The rocket, a 70-foot-long 57,000-pound LauncherOne, was tucked under the left wing of the jet and was intended to carry the nine small satellites into space. However, the booster suffered a failure during the climb and the payloads were lost.
This was the first launch for the UK from UK soil. Virgin Orbit is owned by Richard Branson and is a part of his Virgin Group. The company is working to make spaceflight more accessible and affordable.
Virgin Orbit has not yet released any further information about the failed launch. The company is currently investigating the cause of the anomaly.
Key takeaways:
- Virgin Orbit, owned by Richard Branson, attempted to launch nine small satellites from a repurposed Boeing 747 jet on Monday.
- The rocket, a 70-foot-long 57,000-pound LauncherOne, suffered a failure during the climb and the payloads were lost.
- This was the first launch for the UK from UK soil and Virgin Orbit is currently investigating the cause of the anomaly.
Be First to Comment