The first attempt to launch a satellite from western Europe appeared to have failed early on Tuesday when Virgin Orbit reported an ¡°anomaly¡± that had prevented its rocket from reaching orbit.
The mission had left from the coastal town of Newquay in southwest England, with Virgin Orbit¡¯s LauncherOne rocket carried under the wing of a modified Boeing 747 and later released over the the Atlantic Ocean.
Virgin Orbit, part-owned by British billionaire Richard Branson, had planned to deploy nine satellites into lower Earth orbit (LEO) in its first mission outside its United States base.
¡°We appear to have an anomaly that has prevented us from reaching orbit,¡± the company said. ¡°We are evaluating the information.¡±
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