London

- Britain's ambition to launch the first missile into outer space from its lands suffered a major setback, after the failure of the launch of a missile from the Cornwall region in the south of the country, as the missile was unable to reach its orbit around the Earth due to a technical malfunction that the Virgin Orbit company says is what Still investigating his reasons.

Britain was hoping that this historic operation would be completed successfully, to enter the club of countries that succeeded in launching missiles from its lands into space.

This concerns the United States, Russia, China, India, South Korea and France.

Britain has previously launched many missiles into space, but this is the first time that it has launched a missile carrying satellites into outer space, as all previous launches took place within the framework of military or research efforts related to the atmosphere and climate, and soon returned to Earth without to settle in orbit around it.

Despite Britain's enormous technical capabilities, it has so far been unable to send a missile into outer space from over British territory. Is this inability due to failure or lack of capabilities?

Britain is unable to launch missiles into outer space because it does not have launch bases and the high cost of building them (Reuters)

Is Britain capable of manufacturing space missiles?

Britain is one of the countries famous for manufacturing satellites and building space missiles, but it has always been unable to launch them from British territory, because it does not have bases for launching rockets into space, as these bases require huge financial investments.

Work is underway to build a base in Scotland.

Therefore, all Britain was doing was manufacturing satellites and missiles and launching them from other countries into outer space.

Is this the first time Britain has tried to launch a missile into outer space?

It was the first time that Britain launched an entirely British-made rocket into space in 1971, and it was called "Lipstick", and it was red and white.

And that was within the framework of a launch called the "Black Arrow", but this operation was carried out from Australia and not from Britain.

In addition, the high cost prompted the government to refrain from continuing similar operations, and the "Black Arrow" operation was the first and last in Britain, after which it focused more on the process of manufacturing satellites.

Is Britain a strong country in the space industry?

Yes, according to a government report, the space industry generates more than 16.5 billion pounds sterling for the British economy, and it provides more than 50,000 job opportunities in the country, and this is mainly due to British progress in the field of satellite manufacturing.

What are Britain's weaknesses in the space industry?

Britain cannot send spacecraft on missions into space, nor can it yet send manned flights either, and it does not have the infrastructure for space launch platforms, nor does it have a space station.

Why did Britain return to interest in launching rockets into space?

The password is “Brexit.” Immediately after the announcement of Britain’s official separation from the European Union, London announced the National Space Strategy, which extends from 2022 to 2025, so that its results begin to appear.

The UK Space Agency says the aim of this strategy is to build one of the newest and best space-related economies in the world.

The strategy sets 3 main objectives:

  • First, the military goal is to enhance Britain's presence in space, using satellites for surveillance and espionage.

  • The second goal is for Britain to become a launch pad for satellites.

  • Then the third goal is for Britain to become a leading country in the field of scientific research in space.

    • The strategy identified two important dates:

    • The year 2022 is to launch the first missile into outer space from Britain, a mission that was called "Start Up" and was doomed to failure, and was postponed to the beginning of the year 2023.

    • The year 2030, which the strategy says will be the date when Britain will be transformed into a platform for launching satellites into outer space.

    Britain is among the most famous countries in the satellite industry, but it has not achieved a breakthrough in launching missiles into space (Reuters)

    What after the failure of the missile launch attempt?

    The British Space Agency said that it will not give up after this failure, and will try again a year from now.

    And half of the operation was successful, represented by the launch of the missile, which makes Britain excel in its race with both Sweden and Norway, as both of them also seek to launch space missiles from their lands.

    The Executive Director of the British Space Agency, Ian Annette, confirmed that her country is insisting on this program, because if it succeeds, it "will attract a lot of investments, create job opportunities, and be an inspiration for future generations," especially that the United Kingdom is going through difficult circumstances in which it suffers from an economic crisis and the collapse of health services. Which makes her in need of a huge achievement that restores her confidence in her ability to enter the exclusive club of space nations.