California-based Virgin Orbit has failed to launch a satellite into orbit from the UK. The BBC writes about it.
This is the first such mission in UK history. According to the BBC, the launch looked normal at first and the LauncherOne air launch booster appeared to be ascending correctly. However, Virgin Orbit soon received a message that an "anomaly" had happened to it. More exact reasons for the failure are not called.
The rocket was launched from Newquay Airport in Cornwall and was supposed to put nine satellites into orbit. It was secured under the wing of a Boeing 747 and after an hour of flight it was released over the Atlantic Ocean. Shortly after the first stage separated, there was a problem at the top of the rocket. According to a representative of the UK space agency, an "anomaly" was found in the second stage engine. As a result, the satellites were lost. Boeing-747 returned to Cornwall.
