The Northrop Grumman Pegasus horizontal-launch system, which flies out of the US, is a potential rival to its Virgin Orbit counterpart. It operates from Stargazer, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar

LauncherOne is a 25-tonne two-stage rocket. Its mix of kerosene RP1 and LOX fuel launches it into low Earth Orbit after Cosmic girl carries it to an initial height of around 35,000ft

Virgin Orbit’s Boeing 747-400, N744VG (c/n 32745) Cosmic Girl, with a LauncherOne rocket payload takes off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California earlier this year

Virgin Orbit's Cosmic Girl climbs out from Spaceport Cornwall in this visualisation of the 747-400's flight west across the North Atlantic to the launcher release point
Virgin Orbit plans to operate from a new spaceport to be constructed at Cornwall Newquay Airport from 2021.

A Spaceport Cornwall hangar forms the backdrop to Boeing 747-400 Cosmic Girl in this impression of part of the future facility

An artist’s impression of the new Spaceport Cornwall Aviation Centre designed by UK architects Stride Treglown. The company will work with principal contractor Willmott Dixon and structural engineers Craddys to deliver the project with site owners Cornwall Airport Newquay, Cornwall Council and other partners