UK space launch in Cornwall ended in failure
The first ever satellite mission launched from the UK ended in failure. A giant jet plane of the American company Virgin Orbit delivered a rocket from Newquay, Cornwall, to launch it high above the Atlantic Ocean, writes BBC News.
The rocket seemed to be rising correctly. But then news came from the company that an "anomaly" had occurred in the rocket. The satellites he was carrying could not be released and were lost. Cosmic Girl, a 747 aircraft carrier, returned safely to base.
The Virgin Orbit system is relatively new. It has been working only since 2020. During her first flight, she failed, but four successful flights followed.
Matt Archer, director of the launch program at the UK Space Agency, said the problem occurred at the top of the rocket. "The second stage engine had a technical anomaly and did not reach the required orbit," he explained.
"This is now part of an investigation by Virgin Orbit and a number of government departments," he told BBC News.
Archer could not confirm whether the rocket had fallen back to Earth, but said that if it had, it would have fallen over unpopulated areas.
The satellites were insured, so their manufacturers and operators will receive compensation.
Rockets have been sent into space from the UK before, but not to put satellites into orbit. These earlier efforts were part of military exercises or atmospheric research, and the vehicles involved immediately went back down.
The country's space industry, world-famous for producing satellites of all sizes, has always had to send its products to foreign spaceports in order to put them into orbit.
Adding launch capability means that in the future the sector will be able to do everything from first design to mission operations.
More than 2,000 spectators and VIPs gathered at Cornwall's Newquay Airport to watch the Boeing 747 depart. They dissipated when news leaked out that something had gone wrong.
The failure on Monday evening was a blow to all participants: Virgin Orbit, the owners of satellites and the Cornwall spacecraft which organized the flight.
Dan Hart, CEO of Virgin Orbit, said: "We understand that we have not been able to provide our customers with the launch services they deserve. The initial nature of this mission added levels of complexity that our team handled professionally; however, in the end, it seems a technical glitch prevented us from reaching the last orbit. We will work tirelessly to understand the nature of the failure, take corrective action and return to orbit once we have completed a full investigation and mission assurance process."
Hart and his team traveled to Cornwall to express sympathy, accompanied by British Science Minister George Freeman.
In his tweet, the minister referred to the famous quote of the US President of the 1960s John F. Kennedy: "We are doing all this not because it is easy, but because it is difficult. "
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Photo: techcrunch.com
