Virgin Orbit’s first UK launch fails to reach orbit

Virgin Orbit says its first UK orbital launch attempt failed to reach orbit. The company’s January 10 statement follows the previous night’s flight from Spaceport Cornwall.

Photo: Tmedia1, “Cosmic Girl Virgin Orbit 747” (2017). CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and cropped under the same licence.

The rocket reached space, but an anomaly during its second-stage engine firing ended the mission prematurely. Virgin Orbit says it will investigate the failure.

Cosmic Girl, a modified Boeing 747, carried the LauncherOne rocket for release in flight. The mission marks the first attempt to launch satellites into orbit from UK soil.

The company says its four previous payload-carrying missions reached their intended orbits. The UK Space Agency plans to work with the launch provider on the investigation, with no return-to-flight date announced.