And the UK needs to become a real player
This was a disappointing week for the embryonic British space industry when the first ever launch from the UK ended up with a big splash somewhere in the Atlantic. Virgin Orbit dropped a wing-carried rocket from its repurposed jumbo jet Cosmic Girl, but something went wrong. Millions of pounds worth of satellites tumbled into the ocean or burnt up in the atmosphere.
The launch failure was a devastating opener to the UK’s campaign to establish itself as a player in the potential $1tn-plus commercial satellite business, although thankfully the UK Space Agency and the Cornwall Spaceport are making all the right noises about carrying on with further launches.
The lost satellites included the fascinating Space Forge, an experimental micro-factory in zero-gravity designed to make new metal alloys and materials for use in green tech and computing. Other areas for the burgeoning satellite industry include monitoring climate change, alongside military applications for surveillance and commercial communications where the Elon Musk Starlink constellation of Low Earth Orbit units have been hailed as a game changer by the Ukrainian military.
“Space launches are notoriously tricky”
Virgin Orbit’s failure to deliver its satellite load is a massive disappointment, but it happens. Space launches are notoriously tricky. Many fail because something tiny in the complex rocket system fails. According to reports, Virgin Orbit assumed four of the 17 launches it planned from Cornwall to 2030 would fail. Indeed, most satellites are insured for precisely that reason.
