UK space launch: Dislodged fuel filter blamed for rocket failure

The archetypal ever outer ngo from the UK failed to motorboat past period due to the fact that a rocket substance filter had go dislodged, Virgin Orbit says.

A rocket motor overheated successful turn, starring to the nonaccomplishment of the rocket and satellites it was carrying.

Virgin Orbit sent up a jumbo pitchy carrying the rocket from Cornwall connected 9 January. The craft returned safely.

CEO Dan Hart said the institution would "proceed cautiously towards the launch" of its adjacent rocket.

"The information is indicating that, from the opening of the 2nd signifier archetypal burn, a substance filter wrong the substance feedline had been dislodged from its mean position," Virgin Orbit tweeted.

"Additional information shows that the substance pump that is downstream of the filter operated astatine a degraded ratio level, resulting successful the Newton 4 motor being starved for fuel. Performing successful this anomalous mode resulted successful the motor operating astatine a importantly higher than rated motor temperature.

"The aboriginal thrust termination ended the mission, and the 2nd signifier and its payloads fell backmost to Earth, landing successful the approved information corridor successful the Atlantic Ocean."

At the time, Virgin Orbit said its LauncherOne rocket - launched from the Boeing 747 craft Cosmic Girl - had reached abstraction but had fallen abbreviated of reaching its people orbit.

The ngo had been billed arsenic a milestone for UK space, marking the commencement of a home-grown motorboat industry. The ambition is to crook the state into a planetary subordinate - from manufacturing satellites to gathering rockets and creating caller spaceports.

The motorboat attracted an enthusiastic crowd, with much than 2,000 spectators and VIPs gathering astatine Cornwall Newquay Airport to watch.

Mr Hart said: "Intense disappointment gets rapidly channelled into the information to excavation into the cause, to recognize each contributing elements and to thereby get backmost to formation with a amended strategy and a wiser team."

He added that the probe into the rocket nonaccomplishment was ongoing.

Virgin Orbit is headquartered successful Long Beach, California, but was founded by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.