London's reach for the stars will have to wait.

During the first satellite launch from British soil, unexpected problems arose on Tuesday night.

The historic attempt failed.

“Cosmic Girl”, as the jumbo jet that has been converted into a flying launch pad is called, took off as planned from Newquay Airport in southwest England, and the launch vehicle was also sent on its journey as planned.

But when the second stage of the rocket engine ignited, "there was an irregularity in the system that ended the mission prematurely," said the US company Virgin Orbit, which carried out the launch.

The disappointment in the UK is great.

"Newquay, we have a problem," wrote Sky News.

Virgin Orbit was contrite.

It was the first time the launch vehicle failed to put the satellites into orbit as planned.

Previously, several similar flights in the United States had been successful.

The rocket did not reach the required altitude and the nine satellites, each the size of a shoebox, could not be deployed, said Matt Archer of the British space agency UK Space Agency.

It is not yet known whether and where parts of the rocket fell back to earth, but in this case uninhabited areas would be affected.

In the next few days, an investigation should find out how the technical failure came about and how it will continue.

It is a severe setback for the ambitious British plans.

The country wants to become the pioneer of the European space industry.

Before the start, the otherwise sober BBC spoke of a "milestone" for British space travel.

It is about "the birth of a domestic launch vehicle industry".

According to the BBC, around 2,000 onlookers watched the event in the southwestern English county of Cornwall.

A year and a half ago, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced, in his usual exuberant manner, that he would make the country "Galactic Britain."

How important the project is for the conservative government was made clear by a tweet sent by the responsible State Secretary George Freeman shortly after the Boeing 747, dubbed “Cosmic Girl”, took off.

Great Britain has won "the space race for Europe's first space satellite launch", Freeman rejoiced and emphasized: "One small step for an old 747. A giant leap for the British space industry." In honor of the British rock band Rolling Stones, the mission was called "Start Me Up ' after the hit of the same name by the group around frontman Mick Jagger.

Outside the kingdom, even before the failure, the mood was more sober.

"So they will not be among the big ones," said a European space expert, who did not want to be named, of the German Press Agency.

He spoke of a "propaganda measure" that was primarily aimed at the country's own population and should be sold as a Brexit advantage.

The rocket is just a "small carrier" with a load of almost 150 kilograms.

However, he acknowledged, Cornwall also offers advantages.

The place is easy to get to, and thanks to good connections to the British authorities, there is a kind of all-inclusive package.

The UK isn't the only European country wanting to go into space.

For example, Germany - where some start-ups developing rockets are based - is planning a floating launch platform in the North Sea.

Similar launches as now in Cornwall are also being discussed at the Rostock-Laage airfield, said the expert: "It's a business that many are hoping for."

According to British estimates, the space market will grow to around 490 billion pounds (556 billion euros) by 2030.

Then the country wants to be the largest commercial provider of small satellite launches in Europe.

The London government hopes the space industry will contribute around £3.8 billion to the UK economy over the next decade.

Cornwall should not remain the only "spaceport" in Great Britain, a total of seven locations were selected.

The first vertical rocket launch from British soil is planned for this year - in Scotland.