UK’s first orbital space launch set for Monday

Posted on 9 Jan 2023 by James Devonshire
Cosmic Girl, a Boeing 747-400 aircraft, will carry the LauncherOne rocket out over the ocean, attached to the underside of the left wing

Excitement is building ahead of the opening of the Start Me Up mission's official launch window later today.

The first-ever orbital space launch from UK soil is set to take place today, Monday 9 January. Virgin Orbit’s Cosmic Girl, a modified Boeing 747-400 aircraft, will take off from Spaceport Cornwall sometime after 22:16 UTC carrying the 21-metre LauncherOne rocket, which contains a number of small satellites. Once Cosmic Girl reaches 35,000 feet, it…

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