Tag: Cosmic Girl
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Virgin Orbit fails on first mission from the UK with Start Me Up
Virgin Orbit attempted to carry out the first satellite launch from the United Kingdom on Monday with the first LauncherOne mission out of Spaceport Cornwall. LauncherOne was dropped from Virgin’s Cosmic Girl carrier aircraft off the coast of Ireland at approximately 23:11 UTC, and flight appeared nominal through stage 2 ignition and fairing separation, although…
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Virgin Orbit launches mission STP-27VPB “Above the Clouds”
Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne and its 747 carrier aircraft “Cosmic Girl” have launched the US Defense Department’s STP-27VPB mission along with three commercial satellites. The launch occurred on Thursday, January 13 at approximately 2:51 PM PST (22:51 UTC). Cosmic Girl took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port before flying out to the launch zone…
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LauncherOne lofts defense and commercial satellites on first operational flight
Small satellite launch company Virgin Orbit has successfully launched it’s LauncherOne rocket on its first operational flight since wrapping up its flight test program earlier this year. Launch occurred at 7:47 AM PDT (14:47 UTC), within the two hour window that opened at 6:00 AM PDT (13:00 UTC). LauncherOne Flight Three, also known as “Tubular…
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Smallsat launch providers readying for first missions of 2021
Virgin Orbit technicians complete work with the LauncherOne vehicle’s payload fairing for the Launch Demo 2 mission, which is set to loft 10 NASA-sponsored CubeSats into orbit. Credit: Virgin Orbit/Greg Robinson Virgin Orbit and Rocket Lab teams are gearing up for their first missions of the year in the coming days, with Virgin’s air-launched rocket…
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Virgin Orbit traces cause of LauncherOne engine failure to propellant line
Virgin Orbit’s first LauncherOne rocket ignites its engine after release from a Boeing 747 carrier jet during the company’s first orbital launch attempt May 25. Credit: Virgin Orbit An engine failure that cut short the first test flight of Virgin Orbit’s air-dropped LauncherOne rocket in May was caused by a faulty propellant feed line, the…
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Virgin Orbit’s First Orbital Launch Attempt Terminated Shortly After Release
After years of development and testing, Virgin Orbit has conducted its first orbital launch attempt. The maiden flight of the air-launched LauncherOne rocket occurred on Monday, May 25, with the Cosmic Girl carrier aircraft taking off from Mojave Air and Space Port at 11:56 AM PDT (18:56 UTC) and releasing LauncherOne at 12:50 PM PDT…
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Virgin Orbit’s first launch could happen later this month
Virgin Orbit’s carrier jet, named Cosmic Girl, takes off April 12 from the Mojave Air and Space Port with the LauncherOne rocket under its left wing. Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News Virgin Orbit could attempt its first orbital test launch later this month over the Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles, capping a development program…
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LauncherOne Cryo Captive Carry test on Cosmic Girl – wins smallsat missions
Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne is getting closer to its debut launch following the weekend’s successful cryo captive carry test. The test was conducted shortly after VOX Space – a subsidiary of Virgin Orbit for national security missions – announced they won a contract to launch three dedicated missions for the U.S. Space Force (USSF), for the…
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Virgin Orbit’s Cosmic Girl conducts successful drop test with LauncherOne
Virgin Orbit achieved another major milestone in its test program for LauncherOne when an inert rocket was drop tested over a test range at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The flight saw the Cosmic Girl carrier aircraft follow up on its series of captive carry flights with Wednesday’s release of its LauncherOne rocket. The…
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Drop test moves Virgin Orbit closer to first satellite launch
A full-scale mock-up of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket falls away from a modified Boeing 747 carrier jet Wednesday over the Mojave Desert of California. Credit: Virgin Orbit A full-scale model of Virgin Orbit’s air-dropped small satellite launcher, filled with water and antifreeze instead of rocket fuel, fell away from the wing of a modified Boeing…