Historic rocket mission blasts off from Cornwall

The first rocket launch from UK soil is underway this evening, in an historic moment for Britain’s space industry.

Virgin Orbit’s jumbo jet ‘Cosmic Girl’ has taken off from Newquay airport in Cornwall as part of the Start Me Up mission, which will see several satellites blasted into space.

The plane lifted off to the Rolling Stones song Start Me Up at 10.02pm and is on her way to the Atlantic Ocean where she will make a test loop before releasing the LauncherOne rocket.

The rocket will then travel over Antarctica and Australia before making a final burn to take it into Low Earth Orbit.

Science Minister George Freeman said: “This genuinely is a historic moment for Britain.

“We’ve won the space race in Europe.”