The first mission to launch a rocket into space from British soil has run into difficulties after Virgin Orbit said it appeared to have an "anomaly" which has prevented its rocket from reaching orbit.
In a short statement about the attempted satellite launch, the company said: "We are evaluating the information."
Virgin Orbit had appeared to make history this evening, launching a rocket into space from the UK for the first time.
The mission, which has been years in the making, means that the UK is the first European country to launch a rocket into space from home soil.
A repurposed Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet called ‘Cosmic Girl’ took off from Newquay airport in Cornwall just after 10pm as part of the Start Me Up mission, which was supposed to see several satellites blasted into space.
As the plane lifted off from the runway, hundreds of people cheered and Start Me Up by the Rolling Stones was blasted out on loudspeakers.
Named in tribute to the Stones' 1981 hit, the mission involves a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 and Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket, which is carrying nine satellites with a variety of civil and defence applications.
Science Minister George Freeman said: “This genuinely is a historic moment for Britain.
“We’ve won the space race in Europe.”
