On Monday evening, satellites will be launched from European soil for the first time tonight – if all goes well. At 23:16 Belgian time, a Boeing 747 with a rocket at the bottom will take off from England to put nine small satellites into orbit.
The launch, or a glimpse of it, may also be seen from part of Belgium around midnight. However, technical problems and changing weather conditions may keep the rocket grounded at the last minute.
But if all goes according to plan, the "Cosmic Girl," a converted Boeing 747, will take off at 23:16 Belgian time at Cornwall airport in the far southwest of England.
At the bottom of the plane hangs the LauncherOne: a 21-metre-long rocket that will be released over the Atlantic Ocean. Five seconds later, the rocket's engines will be ignited to finally launch the nine small satellites on board into orbit, at an altitude of about 550 kilometres.
Horizontal launch
These so-called "horizontal launches" are more efficient, consume less fuel and are therefore cheaper than vertical ones, where the rocket takes off from the ground. There is also less need to consider weather conditions. The downside, however, is that horizontal launches are only suitable for light payloads, such as mini-satellites.
Thousands of British and other people are expected to go to Cornwall tonight to watch the departure of the plane carrying the rocket live, but the actual rocket launch, 10 kilometres above the ocean, can also be seen from parts of France, Spain and Portugal.
Credit: Virgin Orbit
According to the map posted by Virgin Orbit on its website, the launch is even visible in part of Belgium. Anyone looking west from the Westhoek (a part of the West-Flanders province) around midnight (four-five minutes after the launch) could possibly catch a glimpse.
The flight will be operated by Virgin Orbit, one of British billionaire Richard Branson's space companies. The launch could be the first satellite launch from British soil and the first time that satellites from Western Europe will be put into orbit.
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Until now, most European space missions have been launched from either the Kourou launch base in French Guiana or Baikonur in Kazakhstan. Tonight's mission is called "Start me up," after The Rolling Stones' 1981 hit, symbolic of the start of a new space age, according to Virgin Orbit.
The mission will see the launch of nine mini-satellites primarily for Earth observation, navigation and communications, both commercial and governmental. Most of the funding for the space flight will come from the UK Government, who wants to increase its commitment to space exploration.
