Cornwall residents are getting excited as they get ready for Britain’s first-ever rocket launch from the airport in Newquay.
The launch, scheduled for tonight at 10 p.m., has sparked interest among aviation enthusiasts and residents of the area alike.
‘Very happy that today marks the day that my home of Cornwall and the UK becomes a launch pad for the future rocket launch industry,’ local Tim Jones wrote on Twitter.
‘Such a fantastic development for the South West… we look forward to hearing how it went,’ tweeted Hayley Lyon.
The launch, scheduled for tonight at 10 p.m., has stoked interest among aviation enthusiasts and residents alike.
“Good luck to everyone at Cornwall Airport Newquay,” Andrew Boomer said.
While some people on Facebook were eager to express their views over the rocket’s environmental impact, Ryan Juleff commented: “Huge event for Cornwall, BEST of luck to Cosmic Girl and also to Spaceport Cornwall.”
“One tiny step for man, one BIG step for Cornwall Space port,” the proverb goes.
The 70-foot rocket will be launched south of Ireland from the UK’s first spaceport in Cornwall by the “repurposed” jumbo jet known as Cosmic Girl after ascending to a height of 35,000 feet.
How will it function? As soon as tonight, Cornwall might play host to the first-ever orbital space launch on British territory. The launch of a rocket into orbit is slated to occur from a former Virgin passenger aircraft (shown above)
Cosmic Girl, a jumbo aircraft that has been “repurposed,” will take off from Cornwall, the UK’s first spaceport, and travel to a height of 35,000 feet before dropping the 70-foot rocket south of Ireland.
The LauncherOne rocket will then launch into space carrying nine satellites as payload.
They can be used for navigation or maritime surveillance to stop piracy, smuggling, and illicit fishing.
On social media, some people expressed doubtful because the LauncherOne launch itself might not be visible from the UK.
Kit Chapman stated on Twitter that while it is entertaining, there is not much value in watching.
“The rocket fires over the Atlantic, the plane takes off from Newquay.” There won’t be any sightings.
Bill Hooper said, “A Jumbo jet will take off from Newquay Airport tonight, more likely tomorrow morning early, fly out over the Atlantic Ocean, and release a rocket that will place many small satellites into Earth’s orbit.
“Cornwall have entered space technology with customery dreckliness.”
The impending rocket launch, nevertheless, has not been met with universal acclaim.
The average rocket launch generates more greenhouse gases than my automobile does in a thousand lives, people complained on Facebook, and the rocket launch was dubbed “cr** for the environment.”
Stop tinkering with rockets in space, Elizabeth Wilson commanded; first, we must address the problems on Earth.
Stop shooting rockets up, said Lisa Schoepe, as each rocket you send up damages the ozone layer a little bit more.
“It’s no wonder we have global warming,” someone once said.
HOW SATELLITES ARE GETTING INTO SPACE BY VIRGIN ORBIT
JUMP OFF
A modified Boeing 747 named Cosmic Girl lifts off from a space and aviation hub, originally in California.
DEPLOYMENT OF ROCKETS
The main pilot presses the “Big Red Button,” which releases the rocket from the pylon, at cruising altitude of about 35,000 feet.
SECOND STAGE BURN
The first stage engine, NewtonThree, ignites after a 4-second freefall and propels the rocket to an altitude of more than 8,000 miles per hour. The first stage separates when its fuel is depleted.
EQUAL SEPARATION The fairing opens when LauncherOne is between 310 and 745 miles above the surface of the Earth, revealing the payload as it approaches its target.
SATELT DISTRIBUTION
The second stage then launches the satellite into its final orbit with extremely accurate timing.
GO BACK TO EARTH The second stage will eventually be drawn back down to Earth by atmospheric drag, where it will burn up and leave a smaller environmental legacy.
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