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‘Bubbling of excitement’ as Cornwall prepares for UK’s first orbital rocket launch | Science & Tech News


There is a ‘vibrant excitement’ in the team preparing for the UK’s first orbital rocket launch but they are ‘as sharp as a laser’ when the final tests are carried out, the boss of the mission service said.

The Start Me Up mission started from Spaceport Cornwall at Newquay Airport, with launch times currently starting around 9:40pm on Monday.

It will be the first orbital launch from British soil – or anywhere in Western Europe – and comes after technical problems pushed it back from before Christmas.

Dan Hart, owner of Virgin Orbit, said: “Space launch is a very serious business and we will be looking at integrating all the information about the system, about the weather, about the range. .

However, there will be no fire and noise like a NASA launch.

Instead, a modified Boeing 747 called Cosmic Girl will carry the 21-meter LaucherOne rocket – containing several small satellites – to an altitude of 35,000 ft before launching into space and eventually reaching a velocity of 8,000 miles/hour.

It will take place about an hour after takeoff and the event will be streamed.

“Right now everything is green” for the launch, Mr Hart said on Sunday afternoon.

However, he added that they are “moving forward cautiously” and are prepared to delay if necessary as there are other launch opportunities in the coming weeks.

“The missile was armed yesterday [Saturday] and we’ll be refueling later today. So we are taking action now,” he told reporters.

With the rocket mounted underneath the wing, he said the crosswind was what they needed to keep an eye on.

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Space team ‘excited but focused’ for UK launch

Among the satellites on board are a factory revolving around the prototype to create high-value alloys and semiconductors, and one to join the constellation of satellites that monitor illegal fishing, smuggling, trafficking, piracy, and terrorism.

Melissa Thorpe, head of Spaceport Cornwall, said the participating teams had “completely broken it” and she felt confident ahead of the big day.

She said: “I just feel so excited… I can’t wait for the UK to join that exclusive launch club because it’s going to be great.”

Mr Hart said getting the satellites into orbit would be relatively quick when the rocket was in motion.

“We’ll burn three minutes on the first stage, followed by about six minutes on the second stage. We’ll go around Antarctica, get close to Australia, then we’ll watch the burn. final and deployment payload.”

“Everything needs to be on track” for the mission to work, he said.

Read more:
Everything you need to know about the UK’s first rocket launch
How to detect the first rocket launch from British soil

This map shows when the rocket will show up in parts of the UK and Europe
Picture:
This map shows when rockets will show up in parts of the UK and Europe
The rocket will be seen by most of the UK in the moment of ignition
Picture:
The rocket will be seen by most of the UK in the moment of ignition

The Cornwall Spaceport is the first to get a license in the UKbut more could happen in the coming years as demand from businesses launching small satellites increases.

“There are seven other spaceports that have been identified in the UK for both vertical and horizontal launches,” said Ian Annett, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the UK Space Agency.

He said Snowdonia in North Wales and Glasgow Prestwick Airport were among them and local authorities were looking at those opportunities.

Ms. Thorpe said a number of “future-preparation” measures had been taken at Newquay Airport to make it capable of serving as a spaceport, including reinforcing taxiways and tables. rotate to ensure more maneuverable Virgin Orbit aircraft.

“When Virgin is no longer here, we can open the door to other companies,” she said.

“We have a brand new facility opening soon and there will be other space companies – it’s full and we haven’t even opened it yet. That’s how people get excited.”

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