Virgin Orbit explains why its “Start Me Up” mission failed to reach orbit

Everything was going well until it stopped. in the skies over Cornwall, UK on Monday. Virgin Orbit was the space launch arm of Sir Richard Branson’s commercial empire. They were about to mark a major milestone: the first European orbital launch. Cosmic Girl, the carrier aircraft, took off successfully from Spaceport Cornwall. LauncherOne had separated from the modified 747, and correctly ignited its first stage rocket. This sent it and its payload, which included satellites, into space. However, the rocket’s second stage failed to push them into their proper orbit. Virgin Orbit leaders offered a preliminary explanation Thursday of what had happened.

“At an elevation of approximately 180 km, an anomaly occurred on the upper stage. The company informed Engadget via email that the anomaly had prematurely ended the initial burn of the upper-stage. “This event caused the end of the mission. Rocket components and the payload crashed back to Earth within an approved safety corridor. It did not achieve orbit.

Virgin Orbit announced that it will conduct a formal investigation into the cause of the anomaly. The investigation will be led both by Jim Sponnick, the creator of the Atlas and Delta launch system, and Chad Foerster who is Virgin Orbit’s Chief Engineering Officer. The company has been in touch with UK officials to discuss rescheduling the launch for late 2023 despite the setback.