A Very British Space Launch review – as flimsy as Richard Branson’s rockets

There’s lots of fascinating detail in this documentary about Virgin Orbit’s attempt to get Britain into the space race. But like the flight itself, it falls short

Either you know what happened when Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit attempted to pull off the first orbital satellite launch from the UK at the beginning of this year, or it passed you by – although if you are watching a documentary about it, you probably have at least a semblance of an idea that Cornwall has not yet become the new Cape Canaveral. A Very British Space Launch follows the four months before the team’s attempt to launch a rocket from Newquay in January.

For the most part, it has the same corporate documentary jauntiness that usually accompanies Channel 4’s brand-centred shows. It feels like an episode of the 90s documentary Airport, right down to its joker of a manager, an upbeat chap called Steve – although, as this is an aerodrome spaceport, there is a lot more money at stake. Perhaps the makers were hoping it would be called The Great British Space Launch; unfortunately, real life intervened.

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