Newquay spaceport - why?

Does seem a bit ridiculous but I'm sure they secured a sheet load of venture capitalists funding and pocketed a nice bit of it on the side. They'll fold in three years and scarper with any cash left.

Does seem a bit ridiculous

Until you realise how much the satellite launch market is currently worth (and rapidly growing) and that we are the only country in the world to develop and then completely abandon a domestic space launch capability.

Obviously its all useless. No point at all.

BTW, do you have a nice Garmin/Wahoo/GPS unit etc on your bike? Or use google/bing/apple maps? Or perhaps you might have tried out that new thing called the internet? Or are looking for an accurate weather forecast? Or like doing online banking? That all works entirely by magic.

Maybe is wasn't clear in my OP. It is the spectating bit I was questioning not the concept.

So they have sold tickets to watch a 747 take off, with the real fun taking place 10 mins later near Ireland?

I beg to differ...there's a silent disco on as well don't you know?

I saw flew from Newquay to Gatwick with Clive Anderson ,that cost £87.

I think it's great (not the spectating) great for local area and space industry

that said, cost wise waaay more expensive using a 747 than than Space x, which £ for lb is a much cheaper way to get your satellites into orbit

I believe the tickets were free. But sold out…

there’s a silent disco on as well don’t you know?

Oh well that's a game changer! Can thoroughly recommend the silent disco at the sciece museum late opening if they still do it.

Do you think we'll be able to see the rocket itself when released?

I’ll be impressed if you can see the end of the runway…

that said, cost wise waaay more expensive using a 747 than than Space x, which £ for lb is a much cheaper way to get your satellites into orbit

Possibly, but turnaround is much, much quicker.

And hopefully isn't providing £££ to that Trump supporting utter whaaanker Musk.

Well that was all a bit embarassing.

When they let this guy on site the outcome was pretty much guaranteed:

Did he get it confused with a Rwanda flight?

I watched it live on YouTube, and then just realised it was a 747 taking off, and it was all a bit weird

Apparently it didn’t work anyhow? Quite what that means as in now there is a rocket floating around in low orbit, or it’s crashed in to the sea to add to pollution I’m not too sure

I think it's crashed to earth and they hope nowhere populated.

Well that was all a bit embarassing

spacex failed. A lot.

I think it's all a bit weird. Why was there absolutely no publicity (that I saw at least) until yesterday? Why are the only photos of the whole thing of some people wearing funny clothes and not of, you know, a 747 that can launch a space rocket or a space rocket that can launch from a 747?

Until you realise how much the satellite launch market is currently worth (and rapidly growing) and that we are the only country in the world to develop and then completely abandon a domestic space launch capability.
Obviously its all useless. No point at all.

Please enjoy this interactive map of space litter.

http://astria.tacc.utexas.edu/AstriaGraph/

I pressume with Virgin written on the side, this has got Richard Branson poking at it. Hes was our very own precurser to Elon Musk.
In awe of him initially, and then a bit worried about him, and then finally filed under **** and forgotten about.

Why was there absolutely no publicity (that I saw at least) until yesterday?

There was a bit of a kerfuffle about it on Friday too but that attempt was scrubbed.

<Newquay spaceport – why?>
Former RAF runway, so can take a 747 with a backpack on. Probably easier/ cheaper than foreign runways, and further south than, say, Shannon, which seems to be an advantage for putting things into orbit?

It'd help if they could actually do the launch, mind. Arstechnica suggests this could be a serious roadblock for Virgin as it tries to raise funding for subsequent launches.

Oh dear. Hope they keep going and more successfully!

this is great news for Cornwall, the fishing industry will have a new source of income from satellite salvage.

It's not even new, they've done a few tests in the states, so all they're showing yesterday is that they can manage to get a 747 off the ground.

Hardly rocket science if it had worked. Massively embarrassing when it failed

Our friend had a payload on that rocket 🙁 . Hope the insurance will pay out since it's a small Space Start-up. Perhaps a higher altitude and a one-stage rocket would be more reliable (Hello Concorde)

US registered 747 operated by a US company. Not sure why the British flag flying was so important.

I thought it was incredibly inefficient and wasteful to launch a rocket that's not close to the equator? Why even try it above the UK?

With regard to the OP, to be fair it is a small piece of history. Or at least, it would have been. It it was happening down the road from me, I'd probably go.

I thought it was incredibly inefficient and wasteful to launch a rocket that’s not close to the equator? Why even try it above the UK?

Apparently:
The optimal launch site for a given launch is at the same latitude as that launch's orbit's inclination. Depending on available downrange space, a particular site can also launch to orbits higher than its latitude, but never lower. So a low-latitude site is better in general since it makes more orbits possible, but it's not the best site for all orbits.

This launch by Virgin Orbit was going to polar orbit, which is extremely high-latitude. So it's possible from basically any launch site, and in fact is slightly better from high-latitude sites.

Hope the insurance will pay out since it’s a small Space Start-up

Out of interest.... who?

Previous drop-launch solid rocket technology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_Pegasus Not seen a lot of recent use (five launches in past 12 years, only five documented failures in 45 launches). Virgin Launcher One https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LauncherOne is liquid fuelled drop launch (2 failures in 6 launches). The significant difference is launch cost ($40mn vs a bargain $12mn for Virgin).

Last year there were 186 launches none were from a drop launch.

Out of interest…. who?

Space Forge.

spacex failed. A lot.

They did, but they were on their [financially] last launch attempt when they got one to work.

As has been said already, this could well be the end for Virgin Orbit as their launch system is more expensive and doesn't really have a USP compared to the other launch systems.

Space Forge.

I don't really understand how that works but it seems pretty damn cool!

Hardly rocket science if it had worked.

It literally is rocket science...

Orbital knowledge

Thanks sharkbait, the more you know!

Coincidentally (or not) Space X Falcon 9 launched 40 broadband satellites yesterday and landed safely.

Apart from saving on shipping costs of smaller Uk made satellites to the US or EU I can't see Virgin as being in any way viable

Space X rideshare price calculator below, 300kg (virgin orbit payload) costs you $1.3M

https://www.spacex.com/rideshare/

It's being promoted as the UK getting into satellite launch business. It's not. It was developed in the USA so the 'rocket science' bit was done there. All the UK provided was a long runway and CAA approval.

Please enjoy this interactive map of space litter.

http://astria.tacc.utexas.edu/AstriaGraph/
/blockquote>

That is brilliant, and mental

 

It’s being promoted as the UK getting into satellite launch business. It’s not. It was developed in the USA so the ‘rocket science’ bit was done there

This is my feeling also - plus they didn't get the rocket bit right!
I'm more excited about the 'proper' rocket launches from Scotland hopefully in a few months time!

Please enjoy this interactive map of space litter.

http://astria.tacc.utexas.edu/AstriaGraph/
/blockquote>

Anyone else wondering what all the 'Uncategorized' objects are?

 

Some photoshop magic from Shappsy. Remarkable.

https://twitter.com/GarethDennis/status/1612770788238655490

shockingly bad photoshop you can still see Johnsons elbow !

Hmm I get Musks a bit marmite but Starlinks well mad thou thru 2019-22 they did 67 launches no failures.

shockingly bad photoshop you can still see Johnsons elbow !

I've done better in a couple of minutes on stuff posted on here as a joke.

Yep that interactive map of space litters mad I reckon you can see yesterdays starlinks doing the train thing as they get into position.

Hmm I get Musks a bit marmite but Starlinks well mad tho

And apparently it's made a genuinely huge difference in Ukraine.

An article today from someone who is actually involved - Maggie Aderin-Pocock in the Guardian.

Virgin Orbiter filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday. Laid off 85% of staff. Can you have a space port without launch capacity?

Space X have won the low orbital launch market, and hardly surprising given the low-tech dated alternative from Virgin.

Space X have won the low orbital launch market, and hardly surprising given the low-tech dated alternative from Virgin.

A great way for Cornwall Council to spaff a £1,000,000 of tax payers money.

£20 million of public money (ten times the amount "invested" by the private sector) to create "up to" 150 jobs when unemployment was at its lowest level in 40 years...🤔

https://www.localgov.co.uk/Cornwall-secures-Spaceport-funding/47538

Hopefully they won't turf out the aviation museum now.