The Guardian by Humairah Adam 9/11/2017
Skybolt 2 successfully launched from back of truck in Northumberland carrying science project, cameras and a stuffed toy
The largest rocket to blast off from the British mainland has launched from Northumberland for a test flight, fuelling hopes that it could pave the way for commercial flights into space.
Built and privately funded by the Manchester-based firm Starchaser, the Skybolt 2 successfully fired into the sky from the back of a converted flatbed truck in Otterburn, a village 31 miles north-east of Newcastle in the usually tranquil Northumberland national park.
The 8.2-metre (27ft) carbon-fibre reusable rocket then broke into three pieces and returned to earth. The managing director of Starchaser, Steve Bennett, said: “We’re really pleased with that launch, the rocket went really well, it flew nice and high, exactly as it should do.”
Designed to fly more than 100km (62 miles) to the edge of space, Skybolt 2 is part of a scheme to test and develop space tourism rockets of the future.
Onboard was a science project from Sheffield Hallam University, commercial cargo, a number of video cameras and a stuffed toy dog called Sam – launched on behalf of Morecambe Bay primary school on the Lancashire coast.
Bennett, who started the space tourism firm 25 years ago, said: “We’ve built and launched some big rockets and it’s been a long hard road but we’re nearly there and we’re just a couple years away from launching people on holidays into space.”
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/sep/11/largest-rocket-to-blast-off-from-uk-mainland-paves-way-for-space-tourism
