Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit fails on first rocket launch attempt

The inaugural launch had appeared to be going well until moments after the rocket was dropped from beneath the left wing of the jumbo jet dubbed Cosmic Girl.

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit has failed in its first test launch of a new rocket carried aloft by a Boeing 747 and released over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California.

The inaugural launch had appeared to be going well until moments after the rocket was dropped from beneath the left wing of the jumbo jet dubbed Cosmic Girl.

"We've confirmed a clean release from the aircraft. However, the mission terminated shortly into the flight. Cosmic Girl and our flight crew are safe and returning to base," Virgin Orbit said in its official Twitter commentary on the launch on Monday.

"There was no immediate word on what went wrong with the rocket," which carried a test satellite.

Will Pomerantz, Virgin Orbit's vice president for special projects, commented during a preflight briefing Saturday that about half of first rocket launches fail. "History is not terribly kind, necessarily, to maiden flights," he said. Chief Executive Officer Dan Hart said during the briefing that there had been numerous tests, discussions and introspection to verify that the system was ready.

"In the end the questions are always, has everything been thought about and are there any gaps or seams, and those are the questions you only learn when you commit to flight," Hart said.

California wildfire kills 74, at least 1,000 missing and 9,700 homes gutted

More than 98,000 acres have been burned since the blaze began the same day as Camp Fire on November 8.

The destructive California wildfires have so far killed at least 74 people with over 1,000 reported missing, authorities said.

Butte County Sheriff and Coroner Kory Honea said on Friday evening that the number of people missing due to Northern California's Camp Fire, deemed as the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in the state's history, was 1,011, CNN reported.

Of the 74 victims, 71 were killed in Northern California while the three others died in the Woolsey Fire in Southern California.

As of Friday, the Camp Fire has destroyed about 9,700 homes and scorched 146,000 acres.

President Donald Trump is expected to visit the region on Saturday. Governor Jerry Brown and Governor-elect Gavin Newsom plan to accompany him.

Meanwhile, the Woolsey Fire in Southern California has destroyed 548 structures in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, said Cal Fire, the state's forestry and fire protection agency.

More than 98,000 acres have been burned since the blaze began the same day as Camp Fire on November 8, while over 3,300 firefighters were making progress against the massive wildfire, which was 67 per cent contained as of Friday.

More than 230,000 acres burned in California in the past week -- larger than the cities of Chicago and Boston combined.

In 30 days, firefighters have battled more than 500 blazes, Cal Fire said.

Business Standard