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.
Virgin Orbit has selected Monday, January 9 as a potential lift-off date from Spaceport Cornwall - more than 70 years after the British Space Programme was established in 1952.