‘Start Me Up’ Mission Hardware Lands at Spaceport Cornwall
The countdown to Cornwall has begun as Virgin Orbit readies for Start Me Up, the newly-titled forthcoming launch from the United Kingdom. The launch provider’s carrier aircraft, ground support equipment (GSE), and rocket arrived this week from California following the first round of now complete wet dress rehearsals. On track for a November launch, Start Me Up is led by a joint mission between the U.S. and U.K. governments, launched by Virgin Orbit, the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA), UK Space Command, and Spaceport Cornwall.
"The completion of the fueling and pressurization dress rehearsals in the USA, and the announcement of the mission name and manifest, has started the countdown to launch from the U.K."
Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey.
Start Me Up will be a launch of many firsts: the first orbital launch ever from the United Kingdom; the first international launch for Virgin Orbit, and the first commercial launch from Western Europe. The first of the company’s hardware began its transport to Cornwall, U.K. on Sunday October 9th, arriving at Spaceport Cornwall on Tuesday October 11th with the GSE and rocket quickly following later in the week.
"As we move ever closer to the first satellite launch from U.K. soil, it’s excellent to see the progress being made by Virgin Orbit, Spaceport Cornwall and those across government in delivering this historic mission, the first of its kind in Europe,” said U.K. Minister of Science Nusrat Ghani. “With 47,000 jobs across the U.K., our growing space industry is a vital part of the economy and has an important role to play in catalyzing investment, generating growth and prosperity. I’m looking forward to working with this innovative sector and delivering on our National Space Strategy.”
Start Me Up is a Tribute to The Rolling Stones
Start Me Up is so named as a tribute to one of the most iconic British rock and roll bands of all time, the Rolling Stones. The hit song debuted on the 1981 album Tattoo You and was later released on the Forty Licks compilation by Virgin Records in 2002.
"Seeing Virgin Orbit’s aircraft take off is an exciting reminder that we are close to the first launch from U.K. soil and first launch of a satellite from Europe. This will be an iconic moment in the history of U.K. space endeavors, so it is fitting that the mission has been named after a song from the Rolling Stones, one of the U.K.’s most iconic bands," said Ian Annett, Deputy CEO at the U.K. Space Agency.
"The completion of the fueling and pressurization dress rehearsals in the USA, and the announcement of the mission name and manifest, has started a countdown to launch from the U.K. I’ve seen first-hand the hard work and collaboration that has gone into making this happen, and we can now look forward to Virgin Orbit’s arrival in Cornwall. The very first space launch, carrying government and industry satellite payloads, marks Start Me Up as a historic moment for the United Kingdom,” said Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey (Commander, U.K. Space Command). “Developing new launch capabilities will build on the strengths of our space sector and attract companies from around the world to benefit from these commercial opportunities. This will catalyze investment, bring new jobs to communities and organisations right across the U.K., as well as inspiring the next generation of space scientists and engineers.”
(Images provided with Virgin Orbit news release and from file)