[ianch99]

Originally Posted by Chris

Why did Aldi and Lidl open here when there was already Asda, Tesco and Sainsburys? Why does any new commercial operation start up?

It’s always because there’s a gap in the market. In this case, there are two particularly significant opportunities: First, the UK is a world leader in satellite manufacture, especially small satellites that don’t need a mega rocket to launch them (unlike the bus-sized telecoms sats that require Ariane or Falcon Heavy to launch them). However there’s no domestic route to orbit so the finished sats have to be sent overseas. This adds cost and complexity to the supply chain and deters further investment. Second, for small rockets there are significant cost savings in horizontal launch from an aeroplane as opposed to traditional, vertical launch.

Virgin Orbit isn’t a government agency. It’s doing this because it sees a gap in a fast-growing market. But its commercial aims and the UK government’s policy of further improving the attractiveness of the UK as a place to produce satellites have aligned quite nicely.

I am not convinced the gap in the market is as clear as you paint. Here's a site declaring that there are 127 Small Satellite Launch Vehicle companies: Top Small Satellite Launch Vehicle Startups

I guess time will tell. As long as this is not a case of reinventing the wheel for non-commercial reasons.