On a January Sunday over the American desert, a rocket slung beneath a modified Boeing 747 was released into the sky, ignited its own engine, and climbed into orbit, a redemption for a launch that had failed eight months earlier. Virgin Orbit, the small-satellite arm of Richard Branson's enterprise, carried NASA's student-built nanosatellites on the flight, and in doing so tested a quieter idea about how humanity might reach the heavens: not from a fixed pad, but from wherever a plane can fly. Whether that idea becomes a steady livelihood or remains a singular triumph will depend on the custom
Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne Reaches Orbit on Second Test, Deploys NASA CubeSats
A rocket dropped from a 747 lit its own engine and climbed to orbit.
Mark
So what actually happened on Sunday?
Mimi
LauncherOne, dropped from a modified 747 called Cosmic Girl, ignited in the air and reached orbit. It then released 10 NASA-sponsored CubeSats.
Mark
Why launch from a plane at all?
Mimi
The Verge's explanation, as relayed here, is that you need a smaller rocket and less fuel, which cuts cost. The company also says it could launch from anywhere the aircraft can take off and land.
Luke
Worth noting those are the company's claims and a reporter's summary of them. Nothing in this piece shows actual cost per launch, or proves the flexibility beyond theory.
Mark
And the first attempt in May?
Mimi
It failed. A propellant line broke seconds after engine ignition, according to the company's later explanation.
Luke
Right, that cause is the company's own account. We don't have an independent review here.
Mark
Who were the satellites for?
Mimi
NASA's educational program. Eight universities and NASA built them, and students were involved from assembly through launch. They'll study space weather, radiation and debris.
Luke
One more gap: the source calls it a success for orbit and deployment, but doesn't confirm how each CubeSat is performing now.
Mark
What comes next?
Mimi
Booked customers include the Space Force, the UK's Royal Force, SITAEL and GomSpace. Whether those flights follow is the real test.
Il Polso
- A rocket that failed in May 2020 had to prove itself again, and this time the whole sequence held from ground operations to full burns on both engines.
- Dropping a rocket from beneath a 747 rather than lifting it off a pad promises lower costs and launch sites almost anywhere the aircraft can reach.
- Ten NASA CubeSats, built by student teams and eight universities, rode aboard and now head toward research on space weather, radiation and debris.
- Virgin Orbit has booked future flights for the U.S. Space Force, the UK, SITAEL and GomSpace, and those contracts will decide whether the model can sustain a business.
On a January Sunday over the American desert, a rocket slung beneath a modified Boeing 747 was released into the sky, ignited its own engine, and climbed into orbit, a redemption for a launch that had failed eight months earlier. Virgin Orbit, the small-satellite arm of Richard Branson's enterprise, carried NASA's student-built nanosatellites on the flight, and in doing so tested a quieter idea about how humanity might reach the heavens: not from a fixed pad, but from wherever a plane can fly. Whether that idea becomes a steady livelihood or remains a singular triumph will depend on the customers now waiting in line.
On Sunday, January 17, a customised Boeing 747 named Cosmic Girl carried a rocket under its wing to a set release point. The rocket dropped, lit its own engine, and climbed to orbit. It was the second test flight of Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne, and after the failure of the first attempt in May 2020, it finally worked.
Virgin Orbit is Richard Branson's company, a sister firm to Virgin Galactic. This was its first successful trip to orbit, and it carried a paying passenger of sorts: ten CubeSats sponsored by NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellites programme. Students helped at every stage, from design and assembly to testing, and the satellites will study space weather, radiation and debris.
The first attempt had been lost to a propellant line that broke seconds after ignition. This time the company reported that every step went to plan. Branson called it the culmination of years of hard work and a spur for a new generation of innovators.
The air-launch method is the heart of the company's pitch. Because the plane does the early lifting, the rocket can be smaller and carry less fuel, which the company says keeps costs down and frees it from fixed launch pads. Its next customers, including the U.S. Space Force, the UK, SITAEL and GomSpace, will show whether that promise holds up as a business.
On Sunday, January 17 in the United States, a customised Boeing 747 named Cosmic Girl carried a rocket under its wing to a predetermined release point, let it go, and watched it light its own engine and climb to orbit. It was the second test flight of Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne, and this time it worked.
Virgin Orbit is Richard Branson's company and a sister firm to Virgin Galactic. The launch marked the first time it had put a rocket into orbit, and it did so while carrying a paying customer's cargo: NASA. The rocket delivered a set of nanosatellites sponsored by the space agency.
The method is unusual. Rather than lifting off from a ground pad, LauncherOne is dropped from the air and then powers itself the rest of the way. According to The Verge, as cited by Gizmodo, air launching means the company does not need as large a rocket or as much fuel, which helps keep costs down. The company also argues the system is potentially more flexible than conventional ones, since in theory it could launch satellites from any place the aircraft can take off and land.
The result was a turnaround from the first attempt. In May of last year, LauncherOne failed to reach orbit. The company later traced the failure to a propellant line that broke seconds after the rocket's engine ignited. This time, Virgin Orbit said on Twitter, the sequence for its second demonstration flight went exactly to plan, from ground operations through full-duration burns on both engines. The company said it was thrilled, adding that a 240-character post could not do justice to the moment.
Branson said in a statement that Virgin Orbit had achieved something many thought impossible. He praised the sight of the specially adapted aircraft sending LauncherOne into orbit, 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 cargo was 10 CubeSats from NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellites initiative, a program meant to attract and retain students in STEM fields. Students take part in every stage of a mission, from development and assembly to testing and launch. The satellites were built by eight U.S. universities and by NASA itself, and they will research subjects including space weather, space radiation and space debris.
CubeSats are small by design. A standard unit measures 10 by 10 by 10 centimetres, about four inches cubed, and a single unit must weigh less than 1.33 kilograms. Units can be combined into configurations of two, three or six.
Unlike Virgin Galactic, which is focused on space tourism, Virgin Orbit is in the business of launching small satellites. It says it already has customers booked for later flights, including the U.S. Space Force, the United Kingdom's Royal Force, Italian private space company SITAEL and Danish satellite manufacturer GomSpace, among others. Those bookings will be the first real test of whether the air-launch model can sustain a commercial business.
Citazioni salienti
Virgin Orbit has achieved something many thought impossible.— Richard Branson, in a statement on Sunday
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