History was made this evening when the UK’s first ever horizontal rocket launch took place from Cornwall.
With 2,500 watching live in person and a further 89,000 people on livestream, Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay saw its maiden launch with Virgin Orbit.
You can continue to read live updates here.
A modified Boeing 747 named Cosmic Girl took off at the slightly earlier than scheduled time of just after 10.01pm, under the expertise of the two pilots onboard - chief pilot Matthew 'Stanny' Stannard, on secondment from the RAF to Virgin Orbit, with Eric Bippert as his co-pilot.
There were also two launch engineers onboard, Dayle Alexander and Bryce Shaefer, who have been going around schools over the last few weeks inspiring children about the landmark moment.
Onboard Cosmic Girl was a rocket named LauncherOne, which once released sent nine satellites into orbit.
After leaving Newquay the aircraft banked left and then headed west towards Ireland, ready to release the rocket over the Atlantic.
The historic moment has captured the imaginations of people across the UK and around the world, in particular the USA where Virgin Orbit is based.
Among those broadcasting from Newquay this evening were BBC’s The One Show, with Kev Duala and Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, from The Sky at Night, presenting live from Newquay.
And It's not just Newquay that is playing an important role in this mission. Goonhilly Earth Station on the Lizard Peninsula will also be heavily involved once the satellites are in orbit.
Explaining about its role, GES said: "We’re thrilled to have supported the Spaceport Cornwall project from the very start. It’s been incredible to watch the dream become a reality – a huge testament to the dedication of the teams involved.
"Now, we can’t wait to provide tracking support for the ‘Start Me Up’ mission and one of its payloads at the inaugural launch.
"We’ll be tracking LauncherOne throughout Cosmic Girl’s take-off and climb phases from a portable ground station cabin which we’ve designed and built. Our engineers in Newquay will remain in contact with partners at Virgin Orbit’s launch centre in California, collecting and transferring telemetry data.
"We’ve also built a turn-key 5m ground station and deployed it to Ireland, which VO’s US team will use to monitor the rocket after visibility is lost from Newquay.
"Additionally, we'll be supporting one of the payloads – the IOD-3 Amber satellite. Having already assisted the Satellite Applications Catapult with testing and preparations, we’re set to provide tracking and comms during its launch and will run daily mission ops from our OCA at Goonhilly."
Cornwall Council leader Linda Taylor has welcomed the historic occasion for the Duchy.
She said: “It is wonderful to see us reach the culmination of so many years of hard work on this, a truly historic day for Cornwall and the UK.
“Cornwall Airport Newquay has already become the first location in the country to be awarded a Spaceport licence, and now we will see that dream become a reality when these satellites are launched.
“It is vital for Cornwall that we are in a position to take advantage of all the opportunities that new technology affords, and this is a clear demonstration of our ambition to be at the forefront of the global space industry.”
Councillor Louis Gardner, the council’s portfolio holder for economy, has also spoken of the benefits for Cornwall, saying: “It gives me so much pleasure to see Cornwall in the spotlight on a global stage for such positive reasons, and to see us reach this milestone.
“I have to thank everyone who has worked on this project, especially our partners at the UK Space Agency and Virgin Orbit for their dedication and commitment along the way.
“This is great news for Cornwall, and will have a long-lasting positive impact on our economy.”
The journey to get to this evening's launch has been years in the making. At the centre of it all has been Cornwall Airport Newquay - a small airport with big ambitions, that is now the hub for Spaceport Cornwall, partnering with Virgin Orbit.
You can read a detailed account of Cornwall Airport Newquay's transition from commercial airport to space hub here: The story of how Cornwall Newquay Airport became a new hub of the space industry
The Virgin Orbit: Start Me Up mission marks its first international launch and only the sixth in total for Virgin Orbit. ‘Start Me Up’ was chosen in tribute to the Rolling Stones.
Cornwall Airport Newquay was chosen as the base for Spaceport Cornwall due to its existing infrastructure. The airport has one the longest runways of a regional airport in the UK and has direct access to a flight path over the Atlantic.
There is also a low civilian population within the surrounding area compared to many other airports in the UK.
The project has been driven by the UK Space Agency and Virgin Orbit in conjunction with Cornwall Council, which has provided the majority of the funding, while the UK Space Agency has provided £11.3m.
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