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Virgin Orbit's rocket completes its first 'captive carry' flight test
Virgin Orbit just edged closer to its goal of launching rockets in mid-air. The company has completed the first "captive carry" test for its LauncherOne rocket, hauling the 70-foot machine under the wing of Cosmic Girl (its Boeing 747 launch aircraft/Jamiroquai reference) as it flew over southern California. The flight wasn't dramatic, but it provided vital data on how well the two vehicles will behave together when the rocket is ready to fire in earnest.
Virgin Orbit will be the first to fly rockets to space from the UK
Today, Virgin Orbit announced that Cosmic Girl, its modified Boeing 747-400 launch platform for its Launcher One rocket, will take off from the UK. This will make Cornwall Airport Newquay the first site in the UK to support launches to Earth orbit. The company hopes that its first launch out of the UK will happen by 2021.
Virgin Orbit will test its rocket-launching plane in 2018
There's a lot happening at Virgin's three space companies, even though they might not be making headlines the same way that other commercial spaceflight companies are. Virgin Galactic is focused on human spaceflight, and will be resuming powered test flights later this year after a tragic crash in 2014. The Spaceship Company is just that -- it's aimed at building and testing aerospace vehicles. It's the company's third and most recent venture, Virgin Orbit, that we're focused on today. The first flight of LauncherOne, the company's rocket, will take place sometime before July of 2018.
