UK regulator says it’s not responsible for Virgin Orbit mission delay • TechCrunch

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Virgin Orbit is retargeting a launch that was due to take place as soon as next week from Cornwall, England – and which was to be the first spaceflight to leave UK soil – due to additional technical tasks and remaining regulatory hurdles.

In a statement, Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said the company will retarget the launch for the coming weeks. In addition to the remaining technical work and outstanding launch licenses, Hart said the limited two-day launch window also caused Virgin to delay the mission. He did not specify what technical work is required for flight preparation.

Just hours after the announcement was made, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the regulator that authorizes the launch, issued its own statement to rebuke Virgins which says the remaining regulatory issues were partly the due to the delay of the mission.

The UK space regulatory process is not an obstacle to a UK space launch, said CAA director of space regulation Tim Johnson. Virgin Orbit said in its statement this morning that some technical issues will need to be resolved before launch. These do not in any way relate to when a license will be issued by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Virgin Orbit was due to launch from Spaceport Cornwall on December 14. LauncherOne, Virgin’s launch system, is made up of a Boeing 747 and a rocket. The plane carries the rocket to high altitude before releasing it on its journey into space, so although it won’t be the first vertical launch from UK soil, it will be the first spaceflight mission.

The news came as a surprise; as recently as Tuesday, Virgin representatives were telling the media that the mission would be subject to regulatory approval.

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