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| VIRGIN ORBIT B747-41R N744VG (MSN 32745) |
Virgin Orbit, the California-based satellite launch company, confirmed that its Launcher One rocket reached space during the company’s second launch demonstration on the 17th January, successfully deploying 10 payloads for NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP).
Virgin Orbit’s novel launch system uses a technique called air launch, in which a rocket is launched from under the wing of a jet aircraft (Boeing 747), rather than from a traditional launch pad on the ground. In addition to improving the payload capacity of the rocket, this technique allows the Launcher One system to be the world’s most flexible and responsive launch service — flying on short notice and from a wide variety of locations to access any orbit.
For the picture-perfect mission, Virgin Orbit’s carrier aircraft, a customized 747-400 dubbed "Cosmic Girl" took off from Mojave Air and Space Port at approximately 10:50 A.M. and flew out to a launch site over the Pacific Ocean, about 50 miles south of the Channel Islands. After a smooth release from the aircraft, the two-stage rocket ignited and powered itself to orbit. At the conclusion of the flight, the Launcher One rocket deployed 10 CubeSats into the team’s precise target orbit, marking a major step forward for Virgin Orbit in its quest to bust down the barriers preventing affordable and responsive access to space. The payloads onboard Launcher One today were selected by NASA LSP as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI). Nearly all of the CubeSat missions were designed, built and tested by universities across the U.S., including Brigham Young University (PICS), the University of Michigan (MiTEE), and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (CAPE-3).
This flight also marks a historical first: no other orbital class, air-launched, liquid-fueled rocket had successfully reached space before today.
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