Virgin Orbit is getting ready to launch its next mission by the end of June. This is the first time that Virgin Orbit is flying after its first orbital launch in January.
Photo: Virgin Orbit/Greg Robinson
The commercial race to space just got a little more crowded. Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit, Virgin Galactic’s sister company, has successfully launched a rocket into orbit for the first time.It also managed to successfully deliver payloads for a customer, NASA, dropping off a number of nanosatellites sponsored by the agency.
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On Sunday, Virgin Orbit carried out its second test flight of its LauncherOne rocket, which is launched into space using an unconventional launch system. Instead of lifting off from a launch pad on the ground, the rocket is carried under the wing of a customized Boeing 747, named “Cosmic Girl,” and released at a predetermined location. Once it’s released, the rocket ignites and powers itself to orbit. That’s exactly what happened on Sunday.
The rocket, which had failed to reach orbit last year during the first test launch, successfully deployed 10 payloads for NASA s Launch Services Programme (LSP) this time, onboard a customised 747-400 jet dubbed as
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