Dover Pathfinder satellite, built by Open Cosmos for the RHEA Group, fails to reach orbit following historic Virgin Orbit launch

espite the successful take off of Cosmic Girl from Spaceport Newquay and rocket ignition of LauncherOne, Virgin Orbit reported an anomaly in the second stage that did not allow the 9 satellites onboard to be deployed and reach the right orbit.

An investigation will be undertaken by Virgin Orbit shortly to establish the reasons for this anomaly.

While disappointed at this result, we remain proud of the work the team and everyone in the UK space sector have done. Space is not easy and the UK has taken a major step forward. Let's go again.