Virgin Orbit, the space company owned by billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, faced a significant setback in its efforts to launch satellites from the United Kingdom when its "Start Me Up" mission failed. A formal investigation is underway to determine the cause of the launch mishap.
Premature Shutdown
LauncherOne, the company's rocket, was destroyed when it tried to take off from Spaceport Cornwall's site at Newquay Airport in Cornwall. It was carrying nine small satellites for the Start Me Up mission.
According to the company, the rocket went into a "premature shut down" around 180 kilometers into space due to an "anomaly." The said issue is yet to be fully addressed.
"I am confident that root cause and corrective actions will be determined in an efficient and timely manner," Dan Hart, CEO of Virgin Orbit, said in a statement.
"We are continuing to process and test our next vehicle per our plan and will implement any required modifications prior to our next launch."
Express.co tells us that the launch was thought to be a significant step forward for the United Kingdom's space sector, which has grown in recent years but has yet to establish a substantial foothold in the space industry. However, the mission's failure has cast a pall over the sector and Virgin Orbit.
Early Investigations
According to a press release issued by the company on January 12, preliminary data indicate that the rocket's first stage performed as expected and that the 70-foot-long rocket reached space altitudes. However, the rocket's upper stage experienced an anomaly that ended the mission prematurely.
A modified Boeing 747, Cosmic Girl, took off from the runway with the LauncherOne rocket under its wing during the failed launch.
The plane flew thousands of miles into the sky before dropping the rocket in mid-air, after which the LauncherOne fired up its engines and shot out of the Earth's atmosphere. Instead of reaching orbit, the rocket crashed back to Earth and burned during atmospheric reentry.
Following the failed launch, Virgin Orbit's carrier aircraft and crew safely returned to Spaceport Cornwall. Along with the investigation, the company stated that talks have begun about a possible future return to Spaceport Cornwall.
Despite the setback, Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, expressed optimism about the UK's role in the space industry. "People may not know this [but] the UK produces more satellites than anywhere outside of California," he said.
About Start Me Up
The Royal Air Force, UK Space Agency, Virgin Orbit, and Cornwall Council worked together to create the project.
In order to become a major player in the development and launch of satellites, Britain is also building a spaceport on the Shetland Islands, which are north of Scotland.
The CAA gave Virgin Orbit permission to launch on December 21, 2022. This was the last legal hurdle to be cleared.
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