Tue, Jul 06, 2021
LauncherOne Carried A Total Of 7 Satellites To Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Virgin Orbit has confirmed that it successfully deployed into orbit all 7 customer satellites onboard its LauncherOne rocket during their recent Tubular Bells: Part One mission.
Virgin Orbit’s 747 carrier aircraft Cosmic Girl took off from Mojave Air and Space Port Wednesday morning at approximately 6:50 A.M. PDT and flew out to a launch site over the Pacific Ocean, about 50 miles south of the Channel Islands. After a smooth release from the aircraft, the LauncherOne rocket ignited and propelled itself towards space, ultimately deploying its payload into a precise target orbit approximately 500km above the Earth’s surface.
LauncherOne carried a total of 7 satellites to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for this rideshare mission: four R&D CubeSats for the US Department of Defense, two optical satellites for SatRevolution, and the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s first military satellite.
“Two successful launches and two groups of happy customers in 5 months really speaks to our team’s abilities. They’re making air launch look easy — and I can tell you from experience that it’s not,” said Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart. “We can now proudly say that 17 satellites launched by our system are up in space exactly in their target orbits. We’re looking forward to growing that number tremendously as we push to ramp up our flight cadence in the coming months.”
“What an unforgettable experience to be here in Mojave to watch the Virgin Orbit team complete another perfect mission to space. Everything went exactly to plan and the fact that we dropped the rocket from our 747 at 7:47 AM PDT made it particularly fitting. Perfect timing!” said Virgin Orbit founder Richard Branson. “We had customers here from three countries and I congratulate all of them and all of our wonderful team.”
Tubular Bells: Part One is named after the first track on Mike Oldfield’s 1973 record Tubular Bells, the album that inspired Richard Branson to create Virgin Records and the first ever released by the label.
More News
Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) A radio transmitter attached to the aircraft structure which operates from its own power source on 121.5 MHz and 243.0 MHz. It aids in locating >[...]
“That’s really what makes you upset is that you are in the middle of flying an aircraft, other people on board you are responsible for and it really impacts the safety.>[...]
Aero Linx: KC-10 Extender The KC-10 Extender is an Air Mobility Command advanced tanker and cargo aircraft designed to provide increased global mobility for U.S. armed forces. Alth>[...]
From 2009 (YouTube Version): From China to Wittman Field, Singer Introduces the Nanchang CJ-6A From 1954 until 1958, the Nanchang Aircraft Factory build the Soviet Yak-18 under lic>[...]
Also: First Nations Tech, 99s Receive Big Donation, AI Safety, Atlantic Aviation OKC & GIAD Registration recently opened for Marshall University’s new Bill Noe Flight Sch>[...]
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (09.06.24): Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT)
See All