Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit, with a rocket under the wing of a modified Boeing 747 jet, takes off for a test launch of its high-altitude launch system for satellites from Mojave, California, July 10, 2019.
Mike Blake | Reuters
Virgin Orbit, the rocket company founded by billionaire Richard Branson, successfully placed its first satellites in space using its new air launch system.
The California-based company said 10 mini-satellites were loaded into space by the same rocket, which was launched from the wing of an old Boeing 747 jumbo jet that flew over the Pacific Ocean.
The jet, dubbed the Cosmic Girl, took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port at approximately 10:50 am PST on Sunday. Almost 60 minutes later, he launched the “LauncherOne” rocket about 50 miles south of the California Channel Islands, at a height of 35,000 feet.
After launch, the rocket engine ignited, accelerating LauncherOne into space. About two hours later, at an altitude of 500 km, he deployed 10 shoebox-sized satellites, which were developed by universities and selected by NASA. The satellites will be used for space research purposes.
“A new portal to space has just opened,” Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said in a statement. “The fact that LauncherOne successfully managed to reach orbit today is a testament to this team’s talent, accuracy, direction and ingenuity.”
The successful launch comes after Virgin Orbit tried and failed to launch a rocket in May last year. The company diagnosed the failure of a high-pressure engine fuel line, which caused the rocket to shut down shortly after launch.
“Virgin Orbit achieved something that many considered impossible. It was so inspiring to see our specially adapted Virgin Atlantic 747, Cosmic Girl, send the LauncherOne rocket into orbit,” Branson said in a statement.
“This magnificent flight is the culmination of many years of hard work and will also spark a new generation of innovators on the way to orbit.”
Virgin Orbit’s launching technique means that the company can theoretically launch rockets in the short term from almost anywhere on Earth. She has plans to launch rocket 747s from Cornwall, England, for example.
Branson hopes to profit from the growing demand for small, relatively cheap satellites. He is not the only billionaire involved in the space race. Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Elon Musk of Tesla are also building spaceships in an attempt to capitalize on the industry’s rapid growth.
Virgin Orbit describes itself as a “dedicated launch service for small commercial and government-built satellites”.
The company said it plans to make the official transition to commercial service for its next mission, adding that it already has subsequent launches booked by customers, including the U.S. Space Force and the UK Royal Air Force, as well as companies like Swarm Technologies , Italy’s SITAEL, and Denmark’s GomSpace.
Virgin Orbit is a spin-off of Virgin Galactic, Branson’s space tourism company. A completely separate company, Virgin Orbit is privately owned by the multinational conglomerate Virgin Group of Branson.
Speculation has varied widely over how much Virgin Orbit has invested so far, with estimates ranging from $ 400 million to $ 500 million and even more than $ 700 million.
In an interview with CNBC in October, Hart declined to comment on how much Virgin Orbit has spent so far, but said he was “arguing” about further investments, with the company seeking about $ 150 million in new capital.
Investors include Branson’s Virgin Group and Mubadala Investment Company – the UAE sovereign wealth fund which also has a significant stake in Virgin Galactic.