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"Virgin Orbit ... anticipates returning to Spaceport Cornwall
for additional launches, and is in active discussions with key
government and commercial stakeholders in the UK to start
planning mission opportunities for as soon as later this year,"
it said in a stock market filing.
The California-based company said it had initiated a formal
investigation into the source of the second stage failure of its
rocket.
The mission had taken off as planned from the runway at
Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay, south-west England, using a
converted Boeing 747 aircraft.
Virgin Orbit said its rocket was successfully released from the
aircraft over the Atlantic, and it completed its stage-one burn.
"At some point during the rocket's flight through space, the
upper stage experienced an anomaly," the company said.
"This anomalous event ended the mission, with the rocket
components and payload descending to Earth within the approved
safety corridor without having achieved orbit."
It said all required corrective actions identified during the
investigation would be completed prior to initiation of its next
mission, which is planned to occur from the Mojave Air and Space
Port in California.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by William James)
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