Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit successfully launched a rocket into space, demonstrating for the first time the viability of its “air launch” strategy for space transport.
After the test, in which it sent small satellites into a low orbit, the company said it will now “transition to commercial service for its next mission”.
Eight months after a previous test failed, the company’s LauncherOne rocket was launched on Sunday from a Boeing 747 – dubbed the Cosmic Girl – on the southern California coast at 11:39 am Pacific time.
The rocket fired moments later and headed for space.
“According to telemetry, LauncherOne has reached orbit!” the company posted on Twitter 10 minutes later, confirming a successful first phase. “Everyone on the team who is not in control of the mission is now going crazy.”
The rocket carried a payload of 10 satellites that will be used as part of NASA’s educational missions. Virgin Orbit confirmed at 2:28 pm that the payload had been placed in low orbit.
“We are very, very proud to say that LauncherOne has now completed its first space mission,” wrote the team.
Virgin Orbit’s airborne rocket launch system, which occurs at 35,000 feet, stands out from its competitors because it eliminates the need for specialized ground launch sites.
Virgin Orbit said its method opened up the potential to send payloads in orbit from airstrips worldwide and lessened the risk of disruptions to weather-related flight plans.
For Sunday’s test, Cosmic Girl took off from Southern California’s Mojave Air and Space Port.
Virgin Orbit, which opened as a separate company three years ago, is looking to reach competitors in the increasingly competitive commercial space transport market.
Rocket Lab, based in Long Beach, has so far launched 96 satellites, according to its website. His next mission – codenamed “Another Leaves the Crust” – is scheduled to launch when conditions permit in a location in New Zealand.
Sunday’s mission will give Virgin Orbit confidence in its strategy after an unsuccessful test of the system that carried a fictional payload in May, in which the rocket failed to fully ignite after being launched from the plane. Virgin Orbit chief executive Dan Hart later said that a breach in a propellant power line caused the rocket to prematurely shut down.
In a statement after Sunday’s test, Richard Branson said: “Virgin Orbit achieved something that many considered impossible.”
Virgin Orbit is a separate effort from Virgin Galactic, a company that aims to offer space tourism from the end of this year.
Galactic will compete with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which conducted a large-scale test of its New Shepard capsule last week, bringing a mannequin – called Mannequin Skywalker, a Star Wars character piece – safely back to earth after a trip aa edge of space.