Virgin Orbit launch – as it happened: UK rocket ‘burns in atmosphere’ as failure casts doubt over future missions

Indian billionaire Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group, hailed the record of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Twitter following the failure of the Virgin Orbit mission.

“I recognise that this was a very different type of orbital launch but it stills tells me how much more we should appreciate and admire the launch record of ISRO,” he said.

Virgin Orbit’s mission was planned to be the first-ever rocket to launch from UK soil, as well as the first one carrying satellites to be launched from Western Europe into space.

Unlike conventional rockets launched from a launchpad, the company’s mid-air launch system used a modified Boeing 747 to carry its rocket up to 35,000 feet, before releasing it off to carry its satellites into orbit.

But about an hour after the rocket’s release, the company said “an anomaly” appeared to prevent the rocket from reaching its planned orbit.

“Launching a spacecraft always carries significant risks. Despite this, the project has succeeded in creating a horizontal launch capability at Spaceport Cornwall,” Matt Archer, the UK space agency’s director of commercial spaceflight said.

Oman’s first-ever orbital mission faces a setback with the failure of Virgin Orbit’s rocket launch mission from the UK.

The Arab country’s satellite, Aman, developed to collect high-resolution satellite photos of Earth, was one of the payloads carried by Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket.

The satellite was reportedly a product of collaboration between the Sultanate of Oman, the US, and Poland.

However, the rocket launch failure has resulted in the loss of the nine small satellites it was carrying.

The BBC reported that the satellites were insured, suggesting the manufacturers will likely be compensated.

Twitter users have called out UK Business Secretary Grant Shapps for seemingly editing out former British prime minister Boris Johnson from a photo he recently shared.

The photo seems sourced from a Virgin Orbit post in June 2022 where then UK prime minister, Mr Johnson, can be clearly seen.

However, in Mr Shapp’s now-deleted post, prior to Virgin Orbit’s Monday launch, the former prime minister is seemingly “photoshopped” out as several Twitter users pointed out.

“This is a great achievement by all involved and a huge milestone in the UK’s journey into space.

“I am immensely proud of everyone who made this incredible moment happen, especially the team at Spaceport Cornwall, Newquay Airport and Cornwall Council as well as the UK Space Agency and Civil Aviation Authority.

“Of course, I want to thank Virgin Orbit as well as numerous Government ministers over the years and particularly Boris Johnson, who while PM was an enthusiastic supporter of this project. It’s been a real team effort and shows just what is possible when we all pull together.

“The launch is not only a giant leap for the UK, but the Duchy and Cornish space sector as Spaceport Cornwall is transforming our local economy by bringing in investment and creating well-paid jobs as well as inspiring millions of people.

“It has now also placed Cornwall at the centre of UK’s space programme and shows just what we can achieve. I look forward to seeing what happens next and am excited for the future of the space industry in Cornwall and the UK.”

“For now, we have so much to be proud of and have shown the world that we can successfully launch from Spaceport Cornwall into space.“This is a great achievement by all involved and a huge milestone in the UK’s journey into space.

“I am immensely proud of everyone who made this incredible moment happen, especially the team at Spaceport Cornwall, Newquay Airport and Cornwall Council as well as the UK Space Agency and Civil Aviation Authority.

“Of course, I want to thank Virgin Orbit as well as numerous Government ministers over the years and particularly Boris Johnson, who while PM was an enthusiastic supporter of this project. It’s been a real team effort and shows just what is possible when we all pull together.

“The launch is not only a giant leap for the UK, but the Duchy and Cornish space sector as Spaceport Cornwall is transforming our local economy by bringing in investment and creating well-paid jobs as well as inspiring millions of people.

“It has now also placed Cornwall at the centre of UK’s space programme and shows just what we can achieve. I look forward to seeing what happens next and am excited for the future of the space industry in Cornwall and the UK.”

“For now, we have so much to be proud of and have shown the world that we can successfully launch from Spaceport Cornwall into space.

Matt Archer, from the UK Space Agency, has said that the satellite load was insured, that Virgin Orbit should recover its losses, and the satellites will break up and what is left should crash into the ocean.

“The rocket will probably break up, not all of it will burn up, but certainly that’s what they will be tracking at the moment and making sure that it is coming down safely,” he said.

“The trajectory that it was on shouldn’t be anywhere near land.”

Mr Archer said the first stage burn would have got the rocket into basic orbit but a second stage was needed to put it 500km above the earth

“That didn’t happen tonight and what you have seen is that it has reached space but hasn’t reached the required orbit,” he said.

“While it is obviously disappointing that the mission wasn’t successful, actually we’re really proud of the fact that we’ve delivered so much here and we’ve created the conditions for launch here.

“We’ve seen that we can do it and we will look to do it again.”

 Matt Archer, from the UK Space Agency, said the satellite load was insured and Virgin Orbit would recover its losses.

Orbex Space is another of the companies hoping to start launches from the UK, and turn it into a space nation. The company has addressed Virgin Orbit’s failure in tweets – but also used the opportunity to highlight its own technology, which relies on more traditional “vertical” rockets.