Tag: LauncherOne
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U.S. military to award smallsat launch contracts using COVID-19 relief funds
Astra’s first orbital-class small satellite launcher, designated “1 of 3,” is raised vertical in this photo taken at a spaceport on Kodiak Island, Alaska, in February. Credit: DARPA The U.S. military said this week it plans to award rideshare small satellite launch contracts to six U.S. companies using funds appropriated to help stabilize the defense…
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Virgin Orbit’s air-launched rocket fails on first test flight
Virgin Orbit’s carrier aircraft — a Boeing 747 named “Cosmic Girl” — took off from Mojave Air and Space Port at 2:56 p.m. EDT (11:56 a.m. EDT) Monday with the company’s LauncherOne rocket under its left wing. Credit: Matt Hartman / Shorealone Films Making its first flight, a privately-funded air-launched rocket developed and built by…
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Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket misses going to space during its first air launch
Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket fires its booster engine after its release from the Cosmic Girl carrier airplane. (Virgin Orbit Photo) A new breed of launch vehicle had a shaky first outing today when Virgin Orbit released its LauncherOne rocket from a modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet flying over the Pacific Ocean for its first blastoff.…
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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 eager for data from first flight of air-launched rocket
A view of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne vehicle under the left wing of a Boeing 747 carrier aircraft at Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Credit: Virgin Orbit Virgin Orbit is setting modest expectations ahead of the company’s first attempt to reach orbit with a liquid-fueled air-launched rocket, emphasizing a hunger for flight data on…
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Virgin Orbit schedules its first orbital test launch this weekend
EDITOR’S NOTE: A launch attempt Sunday was scrubbed due to a faulty sensor. Virgin Orbit did not immediately announce a new target launch date. A full-scale mock-up of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket falls away from a modified Boeing 747 carrier jet during an inert drop test in July 2019 over the Mojave Desert of California. Credit:…
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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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Virgin Orbit completes cryogenic captive carry test flight
Virgin Orbit’s rocket carrier aircraft, named “Cosmic Girl,” executes a pull-up maneuver to simulate the release of the company’s small satellite launcher. Credit: Virgin Orbit Virgin Orbit completed a captive carry flight of its liquid-fueled air-launched rocket Sunday over the Pacific Ocean in what the company described as its final development test before the small…
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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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Small Satellite Launchers Poised for Big 2020
In 2019, American companies reached crucial milestones on the path towards launching small satellites. Firefly Aerospace and Virgin Orbit both secured partnerships and accomplished test objectives ahead of their respective rockets’ first flights this year. Concurrently, Rocket Lab improved its launch cadence and began evolving their Electron rocket as they look towards expanding their capabilities…