History is set to be made on Monday evening when the UK’s first ever horizontal rocket launch is due to take place.

The eyes of the world will be on Cornwall, as Spaceport Cornwall marks the beginning of a new era of space exploration for the UK.

A modified Boeing 747 called Cosmic Girl will take off from Newquay, carrying with it the rocket LauncherOne, which will be released at an altitude of 35,000ft over the Atlantic and send off into space a satellite.

A select number of people will be able to watch live in person at the launch site, after booking tickets for the historic event. However, if you’re not one of them you can still watch the event live, from the comfort of your own home.

In addition to the live launch stream being broadcast throughout the evening at Spaceport Cornwall, it will also be live on Virgin Orbit’s YouTube channel, when people in the Duchy will be able to join viewers around the world to see the launch in real time.

Coverage will begin at 9pm UK time on Monday, when the public are able to join the hosts, mission control and the Virgin Orbit team for a livestream of the pre-flight operations and launch commentary throughout the day.

Timings for the launch viewing event on Monday are as follows, although they are subject to change:

• 7pm: Members of the public who have booked tickets to attend in person will begin arriving on site

• 10.16pm to 11.16pm: Boeing 747 Cosmic Girl will take off horizontally, carrying the rocket

• 10.54pm to 11.54pm: The rocket will be released

• Midnight to 1am Tuesday: Cosmic Girl will return to base

• 1.15am to 1.30pm Tuesday: Confirmation of the separation of the satellite from the rocket

Cosmic Girl will fly west from Newquay before releasing LauncherOne over the sea.

Bournemouth Echo: The flight path for the first Spaceport Cornwall horizontal rocket launch The flight path for the first Spaceport Cornwall horizontal rocket launch (Image: Virgin Orbit)

The Virgin Orbit: Start Me Up mission marks its first international launch and only the sixth in total for Virgin Orbit. ‘Start Me Up’ was chosen in tribute to the Rolling Stones.

READ NEXT: Final preparations underway for first UK rocket launch in Cornwall

Cornwall Airport Newquay was chosen as the base for Spaceport Cornwall due to its existing infrastructure. The airport has one the longest runways of a regional airport in the UK due to its RAF base, and has direct access to a flight path over the Atlantic.

There is also a low civilian population within the surrounding area compared to many other airports in the UK.

You can read more about Cornwall Airport Newquay’s rise from commercial airport to a space hub here: The story of how Cornwall Newquay Airport became a new hub of the space industry

The project has been driven by the UK Space Agency and Virgin Orbit in conjunction with Cornwall Council, which has provided the majority of the funding, while the UK Space Agency has provided £11.3m.