The first rocket launch from UK soil has had to be aborted mid-flight due to an anomaly.

In a tweet, Virgin Orbit said: ‘We appear to have an anomaly that has
prevented us from reaching orbit. We are evaluating the information.’

After months of planning ‘Cosmic Girl’ was set into space by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit company earlier tonight.

The modified Boeing 747 which was once a passenger plane – carried the rocket into space.

It would have been the first orbital launch from UK soil – or anywhere in western Europe – and comes after technical issues pushed it back from before Christmas.

The repurposed Boeing took off from Spaceport Cornwall, at Cornwall Airport Newquay just after 10pm.

Once ‘Cosmic Girl’ had flown from Spaceport some 35,000ft (10,700 metres) over the Atlantic, it released the LauncherOne rocket.

However due to an ‘anomaly’ Virgin Orbit said it was unable to reach orbit.

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