The first-ever orbital space mission launched from the United Kingdom has failed after an “anomaly” caused the rocket to not reach orbit.
In a tweet, Virgin Orbit stated that they will be “evaluating the information” regarding the issue that occurred during the orbital phase.
The crew onboard the Virgin Orbit Boeing 747, which carried the rocket from Spaceport Cornwall near Newquay, were confirmed to be safe after returning from the mission.
Earlier in the evening, crowds of space enthusiasts had gathered at the spaceport and were reportedly disappointed upon learning of the issue.
The Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 aircraft, named “Cosmic Girl,” had successfully launched for the historic mission at around 10pm and completed several technical procedures, but a problem was detected during the stage when it was supposed to “coast about halfway around Earth.” Virgin Orbital revealed the issue in a tweet at 11:46pm.
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