The sensors employed on Carbonite-2 enable the British military to film moving objects such as vehicles, aircraft and ships in ultrahigh definition and color video.
The 50-year-old, from Chichester in Sussex, who spent six months on the International Space Station, announced his retirement on Friday. Here s some of his most memorable moments.
MailOnline explains exactly what did - and what didn t - happen last night, from the takeoff at Newquay to the moment we received the news of the devastating failure.
Business Secretary Grant Shapps said the government will work closely with Virgin Orbit to investigate the failure of last night s launch from Spaceport Cornwall.
How exactly will the launch work, what is being fired into orbit and could humans one day travel to space from Spaceport Cornwall s Newquay Airport base? MailOnline has all the answers.