The company of Richard Branson went on a real bang on Tuesday night. Virgin Orbit failed to reach space. The plan was to launch satellites using a converted 747 jumbo jet that took off from an airport in England. The plane carried a space rocket under its wing. The rocket failed and the satellites are now scraps at the bottom of the ocean. Had Virgin Orbit and Virgin founder Branson pulled this off, they would have made history. They had then ensured that Great Britain became the first country in Europe to launch satellites from its own territory. LAUNCH FROM AIRCRAFT: With a converted plane from the Virgin fleet, dubbed Cosmic Girl, the Rocket Launcher One was to send satellites into space. It went badly. Photo: AP Norway can win On Andøya in Nordland, almost everything is now ready for the first launch. From what was previously just called the rocket launch field, the plan is to send satellites into space. There have been many launches on Andøya, but they have been with relatively complicated rockets. They have not been able to place satellites into space. BUILT NEW: Sandwiched between sea and mountains on Andøya lies the space harbour. The place gives space rockets good opportunities to succeed. Photo: Tore Meek / NTB – There have been some bumps in the road, but we are on our way, says mayor of Andøy municipality, Knut Nordmo. He talks about around 20 impact assessments and a number of challenges with the state investments. New facilities and buildings are now ready. – This will be exciting. What we are also concerned about is what comes from the ripple effects in the form of tourism and jobs, says Nordmo. A LOT OF NEWS: There has been a lot of construction activity at Andøya Spaceport. Photo: Andøya Spaceport The end of the year The satellites will be launched from what is now called Andøya Spaceport. – We took over the buildings last week. There is still something missing with the launch platform, says general manager of Andøya Spaceport, Ingun Berget. The plan has for a long time been for the first launch to take place this year. – That is still the goal. We will complete the platform during the spring and then it should be ready for launch towards the end of the year, says Berget. LOCATED IN LØYPA: Here on the coast of Shetland, the company SaxaVord will try to be the first. Photo: Saxavord More about the bone Virgin Orbit may still have ambitions to launch from the UK. From before, they have had four successful launches in the USA. If they find the fault, and if the customers are on board, there may be another European attempt soon. In Shetland, SaxaVord Spaceport is well ahead of the curve. Their plan is also to launch towards the end of this year. The Swedes are opening what is called Spaceport Sweden on Friday this week. The facility is located in Kiruna. GOOD OPPORTUNITIES: The Swedes have launched their research rockets from Esrange in Kiruna. Now they have finished building Spaceport Sweden on the site, and want to be the first. Photo: MARC PREEL / AFP – They have not yet shared any information about which launchers will launch from Kiruna, so it is an open question as to when they will actually be ready, Berget says of the Swedes. Depends on the customer The current customer of Andøya Spaceport is the German company ISAR Aerospace. They are developing the Spectrum launch vehicle. It can launch a thousand kilograms into low Earth orbit. YOUNG TEAM: ISAR is a new company with young employees. Josef Fleischmann has invested a lot of time and engineering knowledge in the company. Photo: ISAR – Yes, the plan is to have the rocket ready for the first launch this year, says Josef Fleischmann. He is director of operations at ISAR. Josef talks about a long series of tests that remain and a long series of tests they have carried out. – A lot can go wrong when you develop something new. If we have to change something important with, for example, the engines, it may take time, but we are very optimistic, says Fleischmann. ROUGH SHOT: At 28 metres, the Spectrum will be the largest rocket ever launched in Norway. Photo: ISAR Race not important – I understand that there is a space race, but the important thing is that the spaceport becomes sustainable for both Andøya, Norway and the environment, says Berget. She actually believes that Virgin Orbit will try again, and that it will happen before anyone else in Europe is ready. – What they do is launch rockets from planes. It’s not the same as us. We send up directly from the ground. I still think we have a good opportunity to be the first to do so, says Berget.
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Norway can still win the space race – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
