Hopes were high for Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne mission slated for Monday but an anomaly prevented the rocket from launching into orbit.

In what would have been the the first-ever orbital mission launch from the UK, seemed to be going off without a hitch after Virgin Orbit's 'Cosmic Girl' jet carrier transported the LauncherOne rocket from Cornwall to a drop point located in the Atlantic Ocean outside of Ireland.

The mission got underway just after 5 pm EST and by 6:14 pm, the official Twitter account confirmed that the rocket had made it to space.

In another tweet, the company backtracked that confirmation but details into why the launch into orbit were not available.


The LauncherOne mission set out to launch nine small satellites into orbit, with at least one of them being used to conduct technology demonstration for the UK's Ministry of Defense, according to NASA Spaceflight.

Share:
More In Science
Apple Watch Alerts Woman to Blood Clot
A 29-year-old Cincinnati woman was awakened by her Apple Watch, which alerted her about an elevated heart rate, prompting her to head to a doctor who notified her of a blood clot.
Florida County Under Quarantine Over Snails
A quarantine is in place for a section of Broward county in Florida due to a rise in African land snails, which are harmful to agriculture and can eat their way through about 500 plant species.
Cheddar Reports: Montana Kids Suing State Over Climate Change 
Climate change is on trial in Montana. In a landmark case, 16 young people are suing the state over effects like smoke, heat, and drought. It's just the first in a series of cases intended to pressure lawmakers into taking action on the environment. Here with more is Cheddar News Senior Reporter Chloe Aiello.
Load More