No satellites reach orbit after Cornwall space launch
The LauncherOne rocket faced an "anomaly" which prevented it reaching orbit
Last updated 10th Jan 2023
The first UK launch into space from Spaceport Cornwall has faced an "anomaly" which has prevented a successful mission.
Virgin Orbit's Cosmic Girl successfully launched from Cornwall around 10PM on Monday 9 January - and arrived back in to the spaceport at Cornwall Airport Newquay in the evening.
Virgin Orbit confirmed that although the first stage of the launch was successful, the LauncherOne rocket faced an anomaly which has prevented the nine satellites from reaching orbit.
They said in a post on social media: "We appear to have an anomaly that has prevented us from reaching orbit. We are evaluating the information.
"As we find out more, we're removing our previous tweet about reaching orbit. We'll share more info when we can."
The launch saw Virgin Orbit's modified Boeing 747-400 aircraft 'Cosmic Girl' take to the skies from Spaceport Cornwall at Cornwall Airport Newquay.
It carried a LauncherOne Rocket under its wing to a launch range over the Atlantic, where it was released at an altitude of 35,000ft for onward flight into space - hoping to carry satellites into Earth orbit.
Matt Archer, from the UK Space Agency, said the second stage of the launch suffered an "anomaly", which the cause of was under investigation:
"In effect the rocket has not reached the required altitude to maintain its orbit or deploy the satellites and therefore the mission was unsuccessful.
"Over the coming days, there'll be an investigation involving the Government and various bodies, including Virgin Orbit, to make sure we understand what caused that technical failure and again we'll work out what to do next following that."
He said the first stage burn would have got the rocket into basic orbit but a second stage was needed to put it 500km above the earth
"That didn't happen tonight and what you have seen is that it has reached space but hasn't reached the required orbit.
"While it is obviously disappointing that the mission wasn't successful, actually we're really proud of the fact that we've delivered so much here and we've created the conditions for launch here.
"We've seen that we can do it and we will look to do it again."
This would have been the first time the UK put satellites in orbit - with previous rocket launches part of military exercises or for atmospheric research.
The mission will open up a new small satellite launch market for the UK, who are already a global player in the manufacturing of small satellites.
The launch was the first of its kind in Europe and will be the fifth by Virgin Orbit - which already carries 'payloads' for private companies and Governments.
The mission has been named 'Start Me Up' in tribute to British rock band The Rolling Stones. A spokesperson explained: "The hit song debuted on the 1981 album Tattoo You and was later released on the Forty Licks compilation by Virgin Records in 2002."
It was announced back in 2018 that the first British satellite launch would take place from Cornwall within the next few years, following a new partnership between Spaceport Cornwall and Virgin Orbit.
The Spaceport Cornwall project was announced in 2014 and has been progressing towards first launch since then. It has been driven by the UK Space Agency and Virgin Orbit in conjunction with Cornwall Council, who have provided the majority of the funding.
Cornwall Airport Newquay was chosen as the base for Spaceport Cornwall due to its existing infrastructure. The airport has the longest runway of a regional airport in the UK due to its RAF base, as well as direct access to a flight path over the seat.
The site was selected as an ideal location for horizontal launch as part of the Launch UK programme in the 2010s.