The first attempt to launch a satellite from Western Europe early Tuesday morning failed, when Virgin Orbit reported a “glitch” that prevented its rocket from reaching orbit.
The mission had taken off from the coastal city of Newki, southwestern England, with the “Virgin Launcher One” carrier missile installed under the wing of a modified ” Boeing 747″, and was later launched over the Atlantic Ocean.
The failure represents another blow to European space ambitions, after the failure of a previous mission of the Italian-made “Vega C” rocket, following take-off from French Guiana in late December.
The plane, called “Cosmic Girl”, returned to the Niue spaceport, shortly after the rocket suffered a malfunction.
Orbit Virgin , which is co-owned by British billionaire Richard Branson , was planning to deploy 9 small satellites in lower Earth orbit, in its first mission outside its base in the United States.
