I can’t help finding this news very, very exciting. “The first ever orbital space launch from British soil is getting ready to blast off. Monday’s mission will see a repurposed 747 jumbo jet release a rocket over the Atlantic to take nine satellites high above the Earth…. If it succeeds, it will be a major milestone for UK space, marking the birth of a home-grown launch industry.” While it is being done by Virgin – say what you will about Richard Branson and his cunning stunts – if this works it will surely open a new chapter in space exploration, not just for the UK but also in terms of ways to launch rockets and satellites.

Video of the launch will hopefully be online by tomorrow morning – it should be quite spectacular.