Virgin Orbit Buys Two 747s, Modifies One For Airborne Satellite Launchpad

Earlier today on 10 May 2022, Virgin Orbit signed on the line with L3Harris Technologies to gain additional ‘ground’ to meet satellite launch demands.

The deal involves the delivery of two Boeing 747-400 airframes sometime in 2023, one of which will be modified to as an additional launchpad to support Virgin Orbit’s small satellite launch service.

Much like Virgin Orbit did with customizing their first 747-400 for low-orbit payload delivery on project ‘Cosmic Girl’, L3Harris will perform a similar modification by overhauling the airframe and configuring it for cargo delivery, thereby allowing Virgin Orbit to send its rockets and support equipment to space from the same aircraft that could launch from foreign spaceports.

If the venture proves to be successful, this has the potential to encourage others to follow suit. Of course, there new release is replete with the general ‘forward looking’ (hint hint cautionary) statements that are often optimistic, rarely pessimistic, and full of promise. Regardless, building on the success of ‘Cosmic Girl’ which successfully completed three commercial launches and deployed 26 customer satellites into orbit, Virgin Orbit is optimistic of their expanded capabilities with this recent acquisition.

FMI: https://virginorbit.com, https://l3harris.com