Today, at 22:01 GMT, the Virgin Orbit LauncheOne rocket has launched from Newquay airport in Cornwall, where the space centre Spaceport Cornwall is located. The mission has been named Start Me Up, in honour of the song start me up by the rolling stones. It is the first ever orbital Uk space mission, so this moment may go down in history!

 

This satellite is known as an orbiter space probe. This is a probe that can decrease its velocity just enough in order to become captured within Earths gravitational field. Orbiter space probes are not just used to orbit the Earth. For example, the space probe Juno has been orbiting Jupiter- the largest planet in our solar system, since 2016. Other probes include impacter and lander probes, which are equally as important. Impact probes usually crash land on a celestial object- as we have seen with the Deep Impact robe, exploring the chemal composition on the comet Temple 1. Lander probes support manned missions, which allow humans to go into space and collect samples by themselves. The Apollo missions themselves are a famous example of a lander probe.

 

To escape Earths gravitational pull, an object must go at approximately 11km/s- this is called Earths escape velocity, and is the velocity needed for an object to escape the gravitational pull of the Earth. Now, this seems almost impossible- even with our technology today, but this velocity is not constant. When rockets launch, they aren't going 11km/s when they are still in the atmosphere, it is because the rocket is providing a constant upward force from the ground, which allows it to escape Earths atmosphere and enter into space! The escape velocity for any celestial body is not the same as Earths. This is due to how much the object can distort the fabric of spacetime with its mass.

 

One thing about the launch that you wouldn't ordinarily see, is that the launch was horizontal. The advantages of a horizontal take off is that is that it is far less weather dependent, so there is less that can go wrong in comparison to the vertical launch. One more interesting fact is that one of the satellites includes a prototype space factory that will produce materials impossible to make on Earth- they will be stronger, lighter metal alloys, and super-efficient semi-conductors.

 

This is just the beginning. Future space centres are being planned to set up around the UK. A vertical launch site may be opening in Scotland in 2023. The UK's space industry is predicted to grow, meaning more jobs will be availible for the younger generations.