The UK’s first ‘satellite-to-orbit’ mission has failed. It was stated that the Boeing 747-400 type aircraft, named “Cosmic Girl”, with the rocket carrying the satellites of the US company Virgin Orbit, took off from the runway in Cornwall in the southwest of the country, and then the rocket successfully left the plane over the Atlantic Ocean. It was reported that the rocket advanced into orbit, but a problem occurred during this time. It was shared that the satellites could not leave the rocket and were lost. It was noted that the plane returned without any problems.
“A TECHNICAL PROBLEM LOOKS LOOKING OUT OF OUR REACH”
“While we are proud of many of the things we have accomplished as part of this mission, we recognize that we are not providing our customers with the service they deserve. A technical issue seems to have prevented us from reaching orbit,” said Dan Hart, Virgin Orbit CEO.
UK Space Agency Commercial Spaceflight Matt Archer said: “We have shown that the UK can go into orbit, but the operation has not been successful in reaching the designated orbit. We will be working closely with Virgin Orbit as we investigate what is causing the issue in the coming days and weeks. This result is disappointing. “Although launching a spacecraft always carries significant risks, we remain committed to being the leader in small satellite launches in Europe by 2030.” (UAV)