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Above the Clouds

LauncherOne

Virgin Orbit

Launch Status
Success

Mission


Above the Clouds

  • Type: Communications
  • Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
  • Launch Cost: $12,000,000

Mission to a 500 km circular orbit inclined at 45 degrees carrying eight R&D satellites from US government agencies with communications and navigation experiments as well as two Earth-observation nanosatellites from Polish company SatRevolution.

Above the Clouds

Location


Mojave Air and Space Port

Air launch to orbit

Mojave Air and Space Port has witnessed the launch of 5 rockets, including 5 orbital launch attempts, while Air launch to orbit, has been the site for 51 rocket launches.

Mojave Air and Space Port

Rocket


Virgin Orbit LauncherOne

LauncherOne is a two stage orbital launch vehicle developed by Virgin Orbit since 2007. It is an air launch to orbit rocket, designed to launch “smallsat” payloads of 300 kilograms (660 lb) into a Sun-synchronous orbit, following air launch from a carrier aircraft at high altitude.

LauncherOne

Agency


Virgin Orbit

Virgin Orbit is a company within the Virgin Group which plans to provide launch services for small satellites. The company was formed in 2017 to develop the air-launched LauncherOne rocket, launched from Cosmic Girl, which had previously been a project of Virgin Galactic. Based in Long Beach, California, Virgin Orbit has more than 300 employees led by president Dan Hart, a former vice president of government satellite systems at Boeing.

Virgin Orbit focuses on small satellite launch, which is one of three capabilities being focused on by Virgin Galactic. These capabilities are: human spaceflight operations, small satellite launch, and advanced aerospace design, manufacturing, and test

Virgin Orbit
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Ken & Judy
Ken & Judy
2 years ago

Happy New Year Sir Richard hope this launch is successful.

Aaron Gosnell
Aaron Gosnell
2 years ago

I agree w/Ken and Judy.

Ken & Judy
Ken & Judy
Reply to  Aaron Gosnell
2 years ago

Happy New Year Aaron here’s to more great space exploration missions in 2022.
Stay safe .

Vila Wolf
Vila Wolf
2 years ago

Is there a way to add this to Google Calendar?

Jeanette Brannen
Jeanette Brannen
2 years ago

Is this a launch we could see from Daytona Beach on the beach?

G M
G M
2 years ago

Great to see VORB getting 2022 started with air launch!

Last edited 2 years ago by G M
Ken & Judy
Ken & Judy
2 years ago

Great web coverage and graphics of the mission and small satellites are changing the world we live in , go Virgin Orbit.