WELCOME TO THE INTERGALACTIC EMBASSY

I see some confusion about the 'fail' of the UK Virgin Orbit launch from Cornwall. A couple of things need clearing up:

First, this is not VO's first launch. They've been going for a while now, quite successfully. This was just their first launch FROM British soil. Second, welcome to the tech industry, an industry built not on successes, but failures - if it fails, you review, fix, try again. Indeed, you can only develop tech BY its failures. We call this 'iterative' development. This particular ‘failure’ will be hugely valuable in improving and iterating Launcher One to be even better.

Third, this is one of the cheapest 'failures' in space history. That is exciting, because rather than the hugely eye-wateringly costly failures, it's (relatively) cheap. This bodes beautifully for the future of space. It means space tech is getting cheaper and cheaper.

Fourth, everything except the final stages worked well. That's massively exciting for horizontal launch, it means the fundamental principles work. It's just the final stage rocket configuration needs tweaking. This is even more exciting, because it means planes can take off in most weathers, anytime of day or night, anywhere in the world. Instead of having to wait for a launch pad slot, favourable weather and an orbital launch window, you can launch at ANY time, and GO to any launch position.

In contrast, vertical launches can only take off from fixed pads in certain locations. They need the right weather. They rely a narrow launch window. Miss any of that, and you have to wait (costly). Plus you need massive infrastructure and dedicated facilities for a vertical launch site. Moreover, failures in vertical launches are not just eye-wateringly expensive, they can also destroy the entire facility. You also have to wait ages for it to be fixed, and for another launch window (that's if others don't book the launch window first).

What about expensive satellites going up in flames on horizontal launches – truth is, it’s getting less problematic. As more flights take off, the costs go down, and as satellite technology and manufacturing advances, satellites are getting smaller, faster to build, and cheaper to build. Losing a few small satellites isn’t bankruptcy anymore when you can build more relatively quickly and cheaply. And as costs fall, and safety increases, insurers are getting more and more interested in the market.

Horizontal needn't be limited to LEO, either. If it can get the weight to payload ratio up, it can launch into higher orbits, because once free of Earth's atmosphere and moving fast enough, you don't actually need that much fuel, because there's minimal friction out there.

Still with me? Excellent, let's talk about the space sector, and innovation acceleration!

Another exciting development is how low cost Virgin Orbit is. This means that many commercial companies can start putting things in orbit. This has THREE really cool implications

1.       More commercial companies can get their satellites and tech out there. Which means an explosion in the number of firms getting involved in space,

2.       The British space industry is gonna grow and grow and grow! And because the UK is already a world leader in satellite tech, programming, software and innovation, that means it can really make a mark!

3.       This means horizontal launch tech is going to attract investment and massively start innovating. This could mean better rockets, bigger rockets and better weight to payload ratios, so we can launch more and more horizontally - perhaps even overtaking vertical launch.

The UK has a competitive lead in horizontal launch, and eventually could mean we overtaking others in the space race as people flock to UK runways. And Britain goes out into space - AND CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE! Mwa ha ha ha!!!!

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