Why UK’s foremost space mission failed? – Top Reasons

The dream of becoming the first European nation to launch satellites into space had badly failed as its virgin orbit faced severe issues in an unstable rocket reach orbit.

Let’s get into the depth of the incident –

Virgin Orbit was owned by British billionaire Richard Branson, and they planned to set up nine small satellites in (LEO) to fulfill the mission outside its US base.

It was a horizontal launch mission left from a coastal town in England. The launch of one rocket carried an understanding wing known as “Cosmic girl” and later went into the Atlantic Ocean.

What was it?

It was inconsistent and unbalanced, which prevented the rocket from reaching orbit.
Though the company is evaluating the information, they have ensured all local and commercial watercrafts do no come across in the ocean south as there is danger of unforeseen rock scraps raining from the air.

Though rockets have been seen grounded, followed by serious setbacks, six launchers were delayed, and the Ukraine war and insurgency delayed their access to Russian rockets. As soon as the virgin origin reached orbit, the issue led to problematic failure. UK space agency’s commercial space director Matt Archer stated that the first stage of the mission was successful, burning off five minutes starting from Ireland’s southern coastline above the Atlantic. But in the second round, the engine was completely burning. But inconsistency and faulty issues led to the failure of other shots, and the result was that it wasn’t climbing to the perfect altitude. It managed to reach space but didn’t reach orbit, which was important for deploying satellites.

What was the reaction of the audience?

A large crowd was waiting for the mission and cheering for the “cosmic girl ” but were quite depressed when they saw the mission had failed. They were calm, knowing that in this second mission only, four successful missions were on the way.

The Failure

As mentioned by Mr. Archer, it was a technical issue, not something related to planning and implementation. Though preparation was pre-planned, only the execution of the plan was interrupted due to inconsistency in orbit.

The team tried their best to reach success but failed due to technical issues. The team is working continuously to avoid other issues, as the rocket was the best and has already done four missions successfully. Investigation and discussions were happening.

What did they conclude?

Though the failure was properly investigated, it can affect the timing, locations, and future mission planning. The team and citizens hope to get the mission done in 2023.

Failure doesn’t turn them hopeless; rather, they are more enthusiastic as the US has accomplished a lot in the space industry and is planning to get more adoration for its citizens. The team will work on timing, location, area, orbit, and angle from the next mission. They are still hoping to get everything they wished for. Just consistency and confidence and they are good to go for the next missions.