{"id":12487,"date":"2023-01-11T01:37:53","date_gmt":"2023-01-11T01:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1393482"},"modified":"2023-01-11T01:37:53","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T01:37:53","slug":"failure-of-historic-satellite-launch-a-minor-dent-to-uk-space-ambitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=12487","title":{"rendered":"Failure of historic satellite launch \u2018a minor dent\u2019 to UK space ambitions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The UK\u2019s space<\/a> sector is searching for positives after the first orbital launch<\/span> from western Europe<\/a> ended in failure.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The mission appeared to have started smoothly. At around 10PM GMT on Monday, the<\/span> Boeing 747 carrying Virgin Orbit\u2019s LauncherOne rocket successfully<\/span> took-off in southwest England. <\/span><\/p>\n

The jet then climbed around 35,000ft before releasing the rocket over the Atlantic Ocean. But then, disaster struck.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWe appear to have an anomaly that has prevented us from reaching orbit. We are evaluating the information,\u201d Virgin Orbit announced on Twitter.<\/span><\/p>\n

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We appear to have an anomaly that has prevented us from reaching orbit. We are evaluating the information.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Virgin Orbit (@VirginOrbit) January 9, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The US company soon provided further details. The problem had emerged during the firing of LauncherOne\u2019s second-stage engine, while the rocket was traveling at more than 11,000 mph.<\/span><\/p>\n

All nine satellites on-board were lost. Among them was Amber-1, which was developed by the UK\u2019s Satellite Applications Catapult and Horizon Technologies for maritime tracking.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWe will come back stronger.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Paul Febrve, CTO at Satellite Applications Catapult, said the failure was a big setback for everyone involved, but a \u201cminor dent\u201d to the UK\u2019s space strategy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a blow, but it\u2019s not a crippling blow,\u201d Febrve told TNW. \u201cWe will learn from it, come back stronger, and improve the capability that we\u2019ve got in the UK.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That capability has firm foundations. As an island with a northern latitude, Britain has auspicious geography for launching satellites into polar<\/span> <\/span><\/span>and sun-synchronous orbits, which go over the north and south poles. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are several compelling reasons to harness these strengths. One is the growing demand for digital connectivity across the globe, which can\u2019t be met by using terrestrial infrastructure alone.<\/p>\n

\"Amber-1\"
<\/i><\/a>Satellite Applications Catapult was set to operate two satellites on the BRitish mission<\/span>. Credit: Horizon Technologies<\/figcaption>