What the failure of Virgin Orbit means for Britain’s space ambitions
And for the firm itself
It was a slightly desperate example of the spin-doctor’s art. “Historic UK mission reaches space, falls short of orbit,” read the press release from Virgin Orbit, a satellite-launch firm, on January 10th. The night before, in front of crowds of space enthusiasts braving the weather, a converted jumbo jet had taken off from Newquay Airport in Cornwall, in south-west England, to perform the first-ever space launch from British soil.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Newquay, we have a problem”
Britain January 14th 2023
- General practitioners are a big part of Britain’s health-care crisis
- How many excess deaths in England are associated with A&E delays?
- Prince Harry’s autobiography is an ill-advised romp
- Lower gas prices will provide only limited relief to Britons
- What the failure of Virgin Orbit means for Britain’s space ambitions
- The longed-for transformation of English farming isn’t happening
- British museums and galleries are dealing with the past, clumsily
From the January 14th 2023 edition
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