First ever UK space launch blasting off in Cornwall next month confirms Branson
  • Bookmark
  • For out-of-this-world news, sign up for the Spaced Out newsletter

    We have more newsletters

    Who needs Cape Canaveral when you've got Cape Kernow-veral?

    That appears to be Richard Branson's thinking at least, as the floppy-haired billionaire has just dropped a few rockets off in Cornwall ahead of the UK's first ever space launch next month.

    Branson's company Virgin Orbital will launch the 'Start Me Up' mission from Spaceport Cornwall in November, in what will be the first time anything in Newquay has made it that high off the ground.

    READ NEXT: 150-year-old 'time traveller' painting shows woman using an iPhone

    The mission, which is being funded by the UK Space agency, will fire a number of military and scientific satellites into orbit to help with everything from the weather forecast to illegal smuggling.

    The satellites will be carried by the Cosmic Girl aircraft, a customised Boeing 747, taking off from Newquay Airport in North Cornwall.

    Lucky Cornish locals and second home owners from London should get the chance to watch the aircraft take off into the sky and be part of history.

    It will be a perfect opportunity for them to face their differences over a warm steak and potato pasty while the atmosphere fills with vast amounts of carbon dioxide and Branson presumably pops some bubbly.

    • Apple's VR metaverse headset may 'scan your eyeballs' for information

    Meanwhile, head honchos and brainboxes from across the UK space sector are, predictably, over the Moon about the whole thing.

    Ian Annett, deputy CEO of the UK Space Agency, said: "Seeing Virgin Orbit’s aircraft take off is an exciting reminder that we are close to the first launch from UK soil and first launch of a satellite from Europe.

    "This will be an iconic moment in the history of UK space endeavours, so it is fitting that the mission has been named after a song from the Rolling Stones, one of the UK’s most iconic bands."

    Melissa Thorpe, the head of Spaceport Cornwall, added: "It’s time to Start Us Up! This is a huge moment for us all in Cornwall as the journey to UK space launch has officially begun. The mission name and patch reflect and embrace the incredible partnerships between our two countries and teams."

    The mission is scheduled for early November, but no firm date has been provided yet.

    READ MORE:

    • Scary green and orange dots on iPhone screen could mean someone is 'spying' on you
    • Free Liz Truss online game lets you steal from the poor and give to the rich
    • iPhone 14 'calls the police' on rollercoaster lovers thanks to Crash Detection glitch
    • 'Ancient alien UFO' tracked by conspiracy theorists was 'just a blanket' according to NASA
    • Elon Musk reveals the 'everything app' after pushing forward with £38bn Twitter takeover
    • Spaced Out

    Source: Read Full Article