A launch vehicle with a payload of nine satellites was successfully launched from a Boeing 747 that took off from the Cornwall launch site in England on January 9, The Telegraph writes.
Virgin Orbit’s Start Me Up mission is the first satellite launch from its own spaceport in the UK and is hailed as the dawn of a new space age for the country.
Matt Archer, director of commercial spaceflight at the UK Space Agency, said: “There was a space race at this point, as we wanted to get ahead of Norway and Sweden in the first orbital rocket launch from Europe. The need for speed meant we had to do it in January in winter weather, but we showed that if we can do it in January, we can do it any time of the year.”.
British Science Minister George Freeman called for the launch “Historic moment”. “The UK becomes the first country to launch satellites from Europe, putting the UK at the forefront of the commercial space race in Europe., he emphasized. — Tonight marks the dawn of a new era for British space that will inspire a new generation of space scientists and innovators and set the stage for technological leadership, just as the Apollo mission did for the US in the 1960s. “..
Josh Western, CEO and founder of Welsh company Space Forge, whose satellite was among nine launched, said: “To be here today is very moving.”.
The aircraft, flown by RAF test pilot Matthew Stannard Squadron, took off for Ireland and the Atlantic Ocean.
About an hour after takeoff, the booster separated at an altitude of 10,700 meters.
In the early hours of Tuesday, January 10, Virgin Orbit mission controllers will receive information on whether the rocket has put the satellites into orbit.
Satellite owners include the Ministry of Defence, the Sultanate of Oman, the US National Intelligence Agency and British start-ups including Space Forge, which develops reusable satellites.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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