UK space launch: Historic Cornwall rocket launch end in failure
- Author, Jonathan Amos
- Role, BBC Science Correspondent, Newquay
Di first ever satellite mission dem launch from UK soil end in failure.
One jumbo jet operated by di American Virgin Orbit company carry rocket out of Newquay, Cornwall, to release am high over di Atlantic Ocean.
Di rocket ignite and appear to go up well. But message den come from di company say some tin dey wrong wit di rocket.
Di satellites wey e carry no fit release and dem no work.
Cosmic Girl, wey be di carrier 747 jet, return safely to base.
Di Virgin Orbit system dey relatively new. Na for 2020 dem begin use am.
E fail di first time dem bin use am but afta dat one, e don make four successful flights.
Matt Archer, di launch programme director for UK Space Agency, say di issue happun for di upper segment of di rocket.
End of Di one wey oda users dey read well well
"Di second-stage engine bin get technical problem and e no reach di required orbit," e explain.
"Dat now dey part of one investigation by Virgin Orbit and a number of goment departments," e tell BBC News.
Oga Archer no fit confam weda di rocket fall back to Earth but say if e happun, e go don come down over unpopulated areas.
Di satellites dey insured so dia manufacturers and operators go get compensation.
Rockets don dey launched to space from di UK before, but no be to put satellites for orbit. Dos earlier efforts na part of military exercises or for atmospheric research, and di vehicles wey involve come straight back down.
Internationally renowned for making satellites of all sizes, di kontri space industry dey always need to send dia products to foreign spaceports make dem fit reach orbit.
Adding a launch capability mean say di sector go fit do evritin in future from first design through to mission operations.
Wia dis foto come from, Reuters
More dan 2,000 pipo and VIPs bin gather for Cornwall Newquay Airport to watch di 747 leave. Dem begin waka comot as tori come say sometin don go wrong.
Monday night failure na blow to all di pipo wey involve: Virgin Orbit, di satellite owners and Spaceport Cornwall wey organise di flight.
"E dey really emotional," Melissa Thorpe, wey head di spaceport tok.
"We put so much into dis, evri body don try, so we all dey shocked. But na space and wetin we know na say e hard. We know say e hard."
She add say di horizonal launch don go as planned and she dey confident say dem go fit carry out anoda mission in di "near future".
Dan Hart, di CEO of Virgin Orbit, no gree tok too much to tori pipo, im say e company go bounce back.
E go console im staff for spaceport wit UK science minister George Freeman.
