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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Orbital rocket from UK suffers 'anomaly'

Orbital rocket from UK suffers 'anomaly'

By Xinhua
Published Jan 10, 2023 09:18 am

Photo: Virgin Orbit

LONDON, United Kingdom -- LauncherOne, the rocket being blasted into space tonight, has suffered an "anomaly," said Virgin Orbit.

"We appear to have an anomaly that has prevented us from reaching orbit. We are evaluating the information," tweeted the American company.

"We are evaluating the information."

LauncherOne rocket blasted into Earth's lower orbit to deploy its satellites at midnight on Monday.

It marked the first orbital mission to begin from UK soil or from anywhere in Western Europe. "The first satellites launched from UK soil are now in space!" the UK Space Agency (UKSA) tweeted.

The UK's first rocket launch mission Start Me Up lifted off Monday evening.

Cosmic Girl, a former Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747, took off at 10:01 p.m. GMT from Spaceport Cornwall with the LauncherOne rocket under its wing.

The rocket carries satellites from seven customers into space, including commercial and government payloads from several nations, and a collaborative US-UK mission, according to Virgin Orbit.

Start Me Up, named in honor of the Rolling Stones' 1981 hit, is a collaborative effort between the UKSA, Cornwall Council, the Royal Air Force and Virgin Orbit.

Francesca Gosling from UKSA confirmed to Xinhua on Monday that the launch is the first ever satellite launch from Western Europe.

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