The first ever rocket launch from UK soil will take place tonight (Monday January 9) from Cornwall Airport.
Several satellites are due to be blasted into space as part of the Start Me Up mission. 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, will take off horizontally from the new facility while carrying the rocket. Around an hour into the flight the rocket will be released at 35,000ft over the Atlantic Ocean to the south of Ireland.
