Engineers prepare to launch first satellite from the United Kingdom
Fox News
A satellite is being launched from the United Kingdom on Jan. 9, 2023. Final preparations are being made by Virgin Orbit before the launch.
If successful, the mission will mark the first orbital space launch from U.K. soil and the first international launch for Virgin Orbit, founded by British billionaire Richard Branson. The company, which is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, has already completed four similar launches from the U.S.
The latest mission will see a repurposed Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 aircraft carrying a rocket take off from Cornwall in southwestern England from around 10:15 p.m. (2215 GMT; 5:15 p.m. EST) on Monday. Around an hour into the flight, the plane will release the rocket at 35,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean to the south of Ireland.