Britain has blasted into space as the Start Me Up mission launched tonight.
The Virgin Orbit Boeing 747 carrying the first rocket to launch into space from UK soil took off from Spaceport Cornwall near Newquay.
Named in tribute to The Rolling Stones’ 1981 hit, the mission involves a repurposed Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 aircraft and Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket.
The 747, dubbed Cosmic Girl, took off horizontally from the new facility while carrying the rocket under a wing.
About an hour into the flight, the rocket will be released at 35,000ft over the Atlantic Ocean to the south of Ireland.
The plane will then return to the spaceport while the rocket will ignite its engine and take multiple small satellites, with a variety of civil and defence applications, into orbit.
They will be the first satellites launched into space from Europe.
In the past, satellites produced in the UK have needed to be sent to foreign spaceports to make their journey into space.
Speaking on Sunday, Ian Annett, deputy chief executive at the UK Space Agency, described his “immense excitement”.
“Who would not be excited by the fact this is the first time that it has been done in Europe? That’s because it’s hard,” he said.
“There is a point where the training takes over and you fall into that rhythm of the teams knowing what they need to do.
“They know when they need to make the decisions they need to make.
“I would say the real achievements here are not the successes that you can necessarily see but all of the challenges that collectively as a team people have overcome.
“The culmination of all of that is putting these exciting missions into space. It’s the things at the pointy end of the rocket that really matter.”
It was originally hoped the launch could take place before Christmas but owing to technical and regulatory issues it had to be pushed into 2023.
Dan Hart, chief executive of Virgin Orbit, said: “We knew this was not going to be a piece of cake when we took up on the opportunity.
“We worked very closely with the UK Space Agency, the Civil Aviation Authority and Spaceport Cornwall, as well as the international airspace community.
“I think we have learned a lot doing that. I think, like any first, the first time you do it is difficult, the second time you already know and can anticipate.
“The short answer is we are excited to be here, and we’re excited about the future and coming back as soon as later this year to launch again.”
On Thursday, Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne system successfully completed an end-to-end launch rehearsal.
More than two thousand people snapped up tickets to watch the launch from the airport and were even offered the chance to dance the night away in a silent disco afterward.
One of them was Dan Tate, 31, who said: “I've been working in the area and thought it would be a historic thing to be part of, so here am I, it's really bloody cold but it'll be worth it be part of history.”
Joanne Young, 47, said: “There are not many times you can say you were there for a first and to think it's going from Cornwall, where I grew up, is amazing.
“So that's pasties and space travel you can chalk us down for now.”
Close pals Zoe Elliott and her friend Susie Bundy, from Newquay, said they would not have missed the launch for the world.
Zoe said: “It's part of history, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it puts Cornwall firmly on the map.
“Hopefully it will bring in more year-round tourism, especially if we eventually get to go up there ourselves.”
Susie said: “There was no way we couldn't be here, is there? A bit of wind and rain was not going to keep us away. We've got our thermals on and we are going to enjoy every minute of it.”
Space buff Quinn Lawrence, 16, said: “I have had an interest in space for years now and this was the perfect opportunity to see a launch.”
The schoolboy, from Liskeard, hopes to work in the space industry one day and wanted to be part of such a historic first.
He said: “What else is there to see on the planet? We've been everywhere, space is the final frontier. It's all our futures.
“It is human nature to want to explore and space is where we should be.”
Father and daughter duo Mike and Rhyannin White, from Truro, had box seats at the edge of the runway and were hugely excited to be there.
Rhyannon White, 17, a student, told how the launch was so exciting because it meant she might be able to work in the space industry at home in Cornwall in the future.
She said: “I was just so excited to see this because I am so fascinated in space travel.
“As someone who thought they might have to move to the USA to work in this industry it is amazing to me to think I could do this without ever leaving Cornwall.
“Growing up here there has never much focus on other careers than tourism, farming or agriculture.
“You always had to leave, but maybe not anymore, I never really wanted to leave Cornwall as I'm not a huge fan of big cities but this is a big city industry coming to us, it is an incredible opportunity for everyone.”
Dad Mike, 51, resplendent in his Union Jack jacket, echoed his daughter enthusiasm.
He said: “The launch has brought a great sense of community with it and we just had to be here.
“I think this going to have a major impact on the local economy.
“But also on the attitude of people as well, there are some deprived areas of Cornwall and they have struggled over the years, but this should have a really positive impact on people's state of mind.
“People should be able to realise what we can achieve and that they can look up and realise the sky is the limit.”
UPDATE: The rocket has failed in its goal to reach orbit. Click here for our latest story on this development.
