A modified jumbo jet will fly out of Cornwall on a mission to send nine satellites to orbit.
This first foray into orbital launch from UK territory is actually using an American company, Virgin Orbit, that was founded by Sir Richard Branson.
At the appropriate moment and at an altitude of 35,000ft, the Virgin jet will release the rocket, which will then ignite its first-stage engine to begin the climb to orbit.The BBC was given a rare chance to look inside Virgin Orbit's carrier plane, nicknamed Cosmic Girl. Mathew "Stanny" Stannard, an RAF squadron leader, is on secondment to Virgin Orbit, and will be the lead pilot, sitting in the left seat."And then we enter what's called a terminal count procedure. That's where things for us certainly get more interesting as we go through that sequence of pressurising the tank and chilling the lines.
Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart joked that apart from the Cornish pasties versus American hamburgers, there wasn't a great deal of difference in how his team would operate for the UK flight. "[It's] a little different weather than Mojave, but otherwise the team is turning the wrenches in the same way," he said.
One of the shoe-box sized satellites belongs to Cardiff-based company Space Forge. The firm wants to use satellites to make novel, high-value materials and components in space.
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