On a Sunday in January, a rocket slung beneath the wing of a converted Boeing 747 was released high over the sky and climbed on its own power into orbit, carrying ten small student-built satellites for NASA. It is a moment that lands in the long human effort to reach space more cheaply and more flexibly, and in particular in the redemption of a company whose first attempt had ended in failure eight months earlier. Whether this single success becomes a steady rhythm of launches is the question now waiting in the wings.
Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne Reaches Orbit on Second Test, Deploys NASA CubeSats
The rocket ignites and powers itself to orbit.
Mark
So what actually happened on Sunday?
Mimi
A 747 called Cosmic Girl carried LauncherOne up, released it, and the rocket lit its engine and reached orbit. Ten NASA-sponsored CubeSats were deployed.
Mark
Why launch from a plane at all?
Mimi
The rocket can be smaller and use less fuel, which keeps costs down. The company also says it could launch from anywhere a 737 can take off and land.
Luke
Careful with that second part. That flexibility is the company's claim, and the source says "in theory." It hasn't been shown yet.
Mark
Fair. And this was a second attempt?
Mimi
Yes. In May of last year the first flight failed after a propellant line broke seconds after ignition, according to the company.
Luke
That cause is Virgin Orbit's own account. The reporting doesn't say anything about independent review.
Mark
Who built the CubeSats?
Mimi
Eight U.S. universities and NASA itself, through an educational program with students involved from assembly to launch. They'll study space weather, radiation and debris.
Luke
And the customers lined up, like Space Force and GomSpace, are bookings, not scheduled flights. We don't know the cadence yet.
Le Pouls
- A rocket released from a jet at altitude ignited and reached orbit on only its second attempt.
- The first flight in May 2020 had collapsed when a propellant line broke seconds after ignition, so the stakes were redemption.
- Ten NASA-sponsored CubeSats, built by eight universities and NASA, were deployed as the mission's first customer payloads.
- Virgin Orbit is betting that air launch can cut costs and open launches from almost any runway a 737 can use.
- Bookings from the U.S. Space Force, the UK's Royal Air Force, SITAEL and GomSpace now hang on whether launch cadence can keep pace.
On a Sunday in January, a rocket slung beneath the wing of a converted Boeing 747 was released high over the sky and climbed on its own power into orbit, carrying ten small student-built satellites for NASA. It is a moment that lands in the long human effort to reach space more cheaply and more flexibly, and in particular in the redemption of a company whose first attempt had ended in failure eight months earlier. Whether this single success becomes a steady rhythm of launches is the question now waiting in the wings.
On Sunday, a modified Boeing 747 named Cosmic Girl carried LauncherOne under its wing to a set point in the sky and let it go. The rocket ignited and drove itself into orbit. For Virgin Orbit, the sister company of Virgin Galactic, it was the first time reaching orbit, and it came on only the second test flight.
The flight carried ten CubeSats sponsored by NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellites initiative. Students took part from design through testing and launch, and the satellites, built by eight U.S. universities and NASA itself, will study space weather, radiation and debris. It was the company's first successful delivery of payloads for a customer.
The air-launch method is what sets the vehicle apart. Because the rocket does not need to be as large or carry as much fuel as a ground-launched one, costs can come down, and in theory it could fly from any place a 737 can land. Richard Branson called the flight the culmination of years of hard work and said it would open the path to orbit for a new generation of innovators.
The success also redeemed a setback. The May 2020 test never reached orbit, and the company later traced the failure to a propellant line that broke seconds after ignition.
Virgin Orbit has already booked later launches for the U.S. Space Force, the UK's Royal Air Force, Italy's SITAEL and Denmark's GomSpace. What comes next is whether those bookings become flights at a steady pace.
On Sunday, a modified Boeing 747 named Cosmic Girl carried a rocket under its wing to a predetermined spot in the sky and let it go. The rocket, LauncherOne, then ignited and drove itself to orbit. It was the first time Virgin Orbit, the sister company of Virgin Galactic founded by Richard Branson, had reached orbit, and it was the company's second test flight.
The flight also did real work. LauncherOne carried 10 CubeSats, nanosatellites sponsored by NASA, and delivered them. That made it the company's first successful delivery of payloads for a customer.
The launch method is the unusual part. Rather than lifting off from a ground pad, the rocket rides under the wing of the jet and is released at altitude. As The Verge explained, launching from a plane means the rocket does not need to be as large or carry as much fuel, which helps keep costs down. The company also maintains that its system is potentially more flexible than others, since in theory it could launch satellites from any place where a 737 can take off and land.
Branson said in a statement on Sunday that Virgin Orbit had achieved something many thought impossible. He described the sight of the specially adapted Virgin Atlantic 747 sending LauncherOne into orbit as inspiring, called the flight the culmination of many years of hard work, and said it would unleash a new generation of innovators on the path to orbit.
The result was a redemption of sorts. Virgin Orbit's first test flight, in May of last year, did not reach orbit. The company later said a propellant line broke seconds after the rocket's engine ignited, and that was behind the failure.
The payload came from NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellites initiative, which according to NASA is designed to attract and retain students in STEM fields. Students take part in every stage of the mission, from development and assembly to testing and launching. The 10 CubeSats were built by eight U.S. universities and by NASA itself, and they will study subjects including space weather, space radiation and space debris.
CubeSats are small by design. A basic unit measures 10 by 10 by 10 centimeters, about four inches cubed, and must weigh less than three pounds, or 1.33 kilograms. Units can also be combined into two, three or six-unit configurations.
Virgin Orbit's focus differs from that of Virgin Galactic, which is aimed at space tourism. Virgin Orbit is about launching small satellites. The company said it already has customers booked for later launches, including the U.S. Space Force, the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force, Italian private space company SITAEL and Danish satellite manufacturer GomSpace, among others. The next thing to watch is how quickly those bookings turn into flights.
Citations marquantes
Virgin Orbit has achieved something many thought impossible.— Richard Branson, in a statement Sunday
Envie de l'histoire complète ?
Lire l'original sur Gizmodo ↗
Science & Space