Southampton: The Final Frontier
Created | Updated Jun 24, 2023
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In Southampton recently LauncherOne spent a couple of days on display. LauncherOne is an air-launched rocket that, when launched from a jet at high altitude, is capable of putting satellites into orbit1. The programme was run by Virgin Orbit, Sir Richard Branson's satellite-launching business run separately from his more famous space tourism Virgin Galactic company. After six launches, the middle four of which were successful, the company that operated LauncherOne declared bankruptcy shortly after the establishment of Spaceport Cornwall in the UK. Their sixth mission failed in January 2023.
Despite the setback, the UK Space Agency have organised a national 'Space for Everyone' tour featuring the rocket, in order to encourage and inspire young girls and women to have a future in the space industry, which they were doing through the medium of colouring-in sheets. Next to the rocket there was a marquee containing people in branded t-shirts where they were giving away colouring-in sheets of women who have been involved in the exploration of space. While I was there several mothers asked whether they had any colouring-in sheets of Tim Peake2, who is this generation's most famous astronaut and the one that children have heard of. He also was the first astronaut to celebrate Towel Day in space.
