{"id":18275,"date":"2018-11-14T00:13:10","date_gmt":"2018-11-13T16:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/virgin-orbit-puts-flying-launch-pad-through-speedy-taxi-test-with-a-rocket-in-its-pocket\/"},"modified":"2018-11-14T00:13:10","modified_gmt":"2018-11-13T16:13:10","slug":"virgin-orbit-puts-flying-launch-pad-through-speedy-taxi-test-with-a-rocket-in-its-pocket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/virgin-orbit-puts-flying-launch-pad-through-speedy-taxi-test-with-a-rocket-in-its-pocket\/","title":{"rendered":"Virgin Orbit puts flying launch pad through speedy taxi test with a rocket in its pocket"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Virgin
Virgin Orbit\u2019s Cosmic Girl carrier airplane taxis down a runway at Victorville Airport in California with a LauncherOne rocket slung under one of its wings. (Virgin Orbit via Twitter)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

British billionaire Richard Branson\u2019s Virgin Orbit space venture notched another milestone over the Veterans Day weekend: the first high-speed taxi test of its modified Boeing 747 mothership with a LauncherOne rocket tucked beneath its wing.<\/p>\n

In a tweet posted today, Virgin Orbit said the Nov. 11 ground test revved up the plane, nicknamed Cosmic Girl, to a speed beyond 110 knots (125 mph) on a runway in Victorville, Calif. That\u2019s fast enough to simulate an aborted takeoff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also used the day as an opportunity to load real flight software onto LauncherOne for the first time,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n

Branson signaled his approval in a follow-up tweet. \u201cCongratulations to all the team on more exciting progress,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/Virgin_Orbit\/status\/1062432762328543232<\/p>\n

Virgin Orbit is taking a step-by-step approach to testing the LauncherOne air-launch system, which relies on the 747 serving as a flying launch pad. Cosmic Girl is designed to carry a two-stage rocket up to an altitude of about 35,000 feet, then drop the rocket from its carrier pylon.<\/p>\n

Seconds after release, LauncherOne would fire up its engines to send payloads weighing up to 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) into low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n

The test run serves as another hint that captive-carry tests are near, to be followed by drop tests. If everything goes right, the first launch could take place before the end of the year.<\/p>\n

Virgin Orbit is using the air-launch approach because it allows for payloads to be sent into a wide variety of orbital inclinations, potentially with less than a day of pre-launch preparation. Virtually any airport big enough to host a 747 can host Cosmic Girl, which adds to the system\u2019s rapid-response capability.<\/p>\n

Future customers include OneWeb, which is working on a constellation of satellites for global internet access; and Seattle-based Spaceflight, which handles the logistics for small-satellite launches.<\/p>\n

For what it\u2019s worth, last weekend\u2019s tests tickled Will Pomerantz, vice president of special projects at Virgin Orbit \u2014 and a few of his Twitter followers:<\/p>\n