Failed launch

FAILED LAUNCH OF THE UK’S FIRST ATTEMPT AT A SATELLITE

A Virgin Orbit Boeing 747 carrying what would have been the first satellites to get into space from anywhere in western Europe took off from Cornwall at 10pm on the 9th January. The rocket carrying the satellites was released at 35,000 feet an hour later – and briefly made it into space. But then came “an anomaly that has prevented us from reaching orbit”, and mission failure. Now UK air accident investigators are trying to work out what went wrong. Cornwall is not the only site in the UK getting into the space race. The Shetland Islands boast 150,000 sheep, close to 25,000 people, and one half-finished spaceport. When a retired RAF flight lieutenant proposed repurposing a former airbase as a satellite launch site on the island of Unst in 2017, the community council thought it was an April fool’s joke; six years later, it has a completed launch pad and hopes to send rockets into orbit this year. The space industry is booming and the UK is at the forefront of this new frontier. Scott Hammond, deputy CEO and operations director of SaxaVord Spaceport UK, is excited about the prospects for the future. “Ten years ago, it was a dream. But as we move towards it being a reality, the excitement builds,” he said. While Shetland and Cornwall, along with a site in Sutherland, are the most advanced, further spaceports are under construction in Argyll, Prestwick, Snowdonia and the Outer Hebrides. The UK Space Agency estimates that the wider industry generated £16.5bn in income in 2019/20 and employs about 47,000 people. WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE LAUNCH?

Although the cause is still under investigation, Virgin Orbit stated that the issues occurred during the firing of the rocket’s second stage engine. The company was unsuccessful in reaching the 17,000 mph required to gain the appropriate altitude; one possibility is that the rocket’s casing did not detach as intended, resulting in reduced speed. This outcome is not entirely surprising; documents submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority before launch estimated a 27% chance of failure. Despite this setback, Matt Archer, director of commercial space flight at the UK Space Agency, asserted that numerous positive achievements have been made. He acknowledged that space exploration is difficult, but encouraged his team by saying that failure often provides more useful information than success.

Hammond echoed this sentiment, remarking that it’s easy to feel negative about the situation but that failures are simply part of the business. Computers can simulate conditions to a certain extent, but until an actual launch occurs, one can never be sure what will happen. In this case, learning from what went wrong will be key to future success. They didn’t get satellites into orbit, but I think they’ve achieved 90% of their tick list.” The markets took a less philosophical view: Virgin Orbit’s shares finished 14% down on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

Monday’s failed launch is a setback for the industry, but there is no doubt that space exploration is here to stay. Thanks for everything, space!