Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit is set to launch the first orbital space rocket from British soil.Watch the historic rocket launch live on Virgin Orbit's YouTube page.Virgin Orbit, founded by Richard Branson, is about to launch the UK's first orbital space mission, making history for the country's aerospace industry.
"We're in different airspace than we've flown before. Our pilots are ready," he said, warning that Virgin Orbit will proceed cautiously, especially if winds, lightning, or other bad weather conditions approach around the launch window. The rocket launch will lift off horizontally, in comparison with other space missions that launch vertically, such as those operated by SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Cosmic Girl is projected to return to the Spaceport one hour later, according to Virgin Orbit's plans. Meanwhile, LaucherOne will accelerate skywards before the first stage separates from the second stage. Once the second stage reaches low-Earth orbit, it will release a batch of nine satellites.