Until last night, only seven countries were capable of launching their own satellites. Now, Iran has joined that privileged club.

There once was another nation able to loft a payload to orbit: the UK. Back in 1971, a Black Arrow rocket built in this country, and looking for all the world like a giant lipstick, launched the Prospero satellite from Woomera, Australia. It remains the sole successful orbital launch by a British rocket; the programme had already been cancelled three months before the mission. We’ve relied on other people’s vehicles ever since.

But now a British firm plans to put the Union Flag back above the stratosphere, and significantly undercut other satellite launch systems. SSTL from Guildford near London has teamed up with Virgin Galactic to explore a joint launch system.

As conceived, SSTL’s two-stage rocket would be shepherded to 15km beneath the White Knight Two carrier aircraft, the same vehicle that will facilitate human suborbital flights in the next year or two. On reaching altitude, the rocket falls away from the carrier craft and ignites its first-stage engine at a safe distance powering its cargo to polar orbit. The company believes that payloads of up to 200 Kg could be launched for as little as $1 million, a factor of ten lower than established commercial launchers such as Europe’s Ariane.

Such schemes have come and gone before. But Virgin Galactic and SSTL are credible outfits who might well see this to fruition if a viable business plan is put in place. Then, anyone with a million dollars could have there own satellite.