--- title: "Virgin Orbit's Cosmic Girl arrives in UK for landmark launch" description: "The mission is slated to be both the first commercial launch from Western Europe and the first orbital launch from the United Kingdom." author: "Muskan Singh" published: 2022-10-21 canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/news/2195/virgin-orbit-s-cosmic-girl-arrives-in-uk-for-landmark-launch category: "space and research" tags: ["technology", "technology news", "space science", "research"] reading_time: 2 minutes --- # Virgin Orbit's Cosmic Girl arrives in UK for landmark launch The [United States](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2228/the-united-states-claims-seagate-broke-export-laws-by-selling-huawei-hard-drives) and [United Kingdom](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/story/4481/10-popular-places-in-united-kingdom) governments collaborated on the Start Me Up mission, which was **carried out by Virgin Orbit, the United Kingdom [Space Agency](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/32252/cryogenic-engine-for-upper-stage-of-gslv-mk-iii-was-successfully-tested-by-which-space-agency) (UKSA), UK Space Command, and Spaceport Cornwall.** Melissa Thorpe, the director of Spaceport Cornwall, said in a statement, 'This is a big occasion for us all in Cornwall as the route to U.K. [**space**](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2018/elon-musk-to-activate-starlink-after-us-guidance-on-expanding-internet-access-to-iranians) launch has officially begun. ' **It will also be Virgin Orbit's first launch outside of the United States; the company has conducted five missions since 2020. The Mojave Air and Space Port in California** [served as](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/39925/the-first-acknowledged-jewish-senator-in-the-united-states-also-served-as-secretary-of-war-of-the-confederacy-who-was-this-man) the [launch site](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/115031/which-nasa-facility-in-florida-is-the-primary-launch-site-for-crewed-missions) for all of the prior missions. Virgin Orbit's most [recent launch](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/87482/the-success-of-ola-recent-launch-ipo), which [took place](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/36919/which-is-the-unheard-indian-battle-that-took-place-in-history) in July and resulted in the fourth straight successful launch, placed seven tiny [satellites in orbit](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/102258/how-do-space-agencies-track-and-control-satellites-in-orbit). The Rolling Stones, a well-known British band, were honoured when the Start Me Up [**mission**](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2190/starlink-a-private-aeroplane-internet-service-is-launched-by-spacex) was named in their honour. **The proposed spaceports at SaxaVord and Sutherland, both in Scotland, will be used by British launch companies Skyrora and Orbex** to undertake their maiden orbital launches in 2023. The Mojave Air and Space Port in California served as the launch site for all of the prior missions. Virgin Orbit's most recent launch, which took place in July and resulted in the fourth straight successful launch, placed seven tiny satellites in orbit. The Rolling Stones, a well-known British band, were honoured when the Start Me Up mission was named in their honour. **The proposed spaceports at SaxaVord and Sutherland, both in Scotland, will be used by British launch companies Skyrora and Orbex** to undertake their maiden orbital launches in 2023. --- Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/news/2195/virgin-orbit-s-cosmic-girl-arrives-in-uk-for-landmark-launch Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.