UK space launch: does failure spell end of Britain’s ambitions?

Five key questions answered after first Cornish space mission ended in failure

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After a Virgin Orbit Boeing 747 took off from Cornwall at 10pm, carrying what would have been the first satellites to get into space from anywhere in western Europe, spectators at the launch site outside Newquay did a conga.

The rocket carrying the satellites was released at 35,000 feet an hour later - and briefly made it into space. But then came an anomaly that has prevented us from reaching orbit", and mission failure. Now UK air accident investigators are trying to work out what went wrong.