The UK’s first space launch failed on Monday after the rocket developed an «anomaly» that prevented it from launching satellites into orbit.
«We appear to have an anomaly that has prevented us from reaching orbit. We are evaluating the information,» announced the company Virgin Orbit through its profile on the social network Twitter.
Also, the company has indicated, after announcing that it would share details later, that the team «has returned safely to the Cornwall station.»
The aircraft would have flown at an altitude of 10,600 meters over the Atlantic Ocean, where it launched the rocket containing nine satellites with the intention of placing them in space.
Matt Archer, Director of Commercial Space at the UK Space Agency, explained that the first stage of the launch was «successful», as it was «as expected», while the second stage had an «anomaly of some kind», as he told the British channel ITV News.
«We don’t know what that is and again there will be an investigation in the next few days to sort it out, but effectively it won’t reach the altitude it requires to deploy the satellites,» Archer added.
The Agency director added that, although the mission was unsuccessful, they have «demonstrated» that launches can be made, so «again everything is ready to make another launch in the future».
Virgin Orbit has tried to achieve a milestone by attempting to put the first space rocket into orbit from the European continent, since currently only a dozen countries have the capacity to launch into orbit from their own territory.
This launch had created excitement in the country, in fact thousands of people would have moved to Cornwall, in the southwest of England, to witness the moment of the launch.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)