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Ten NASA-sponsored CubeSats are preparing to fly on the agencyâs next Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) mission, making this the first payload carried by Virgin Orbitâs LauncherOne rocket.
With the small satellites safely secured inside the payload fairing, and the fairing mated to the rocket, Virgin Orbit is gearing up for ELaNa 20, the Dec.19, 2020, Launch Demo 2 flight from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. âThis initiative actually enables the market for future CubeSats or future missions needing a ride to space by providing different approaches and different options to better meet spacecraft needs,â Hector Viera, NASAâs contracting officer representative for Virgin Orbit. âThis launch is going to open the doors for them (Virgin Orbit) and for NASA, and thatâs a good thing.â