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Rocket Lab schedules second Electron test launch for December 8th
On Friday, December 8th at 2:30 PM New Zealand time (8:30 PM ET), a 10-day window will open for a launch of Rocket Lab's Electron rocket. The window will be open for four hours each day. This second test is called "Still Testing"; the rocket will launch from the company's facility on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula. It will be the first launch that Rocket Lab has live streamed to the public.
Virgin Galactic forms new company for low-cost smallsat launches
Richard Branson's Virgin Group now has three private space companies. The newest addition is called Virgin Orbit, and it will focus on low-cost small satellite launches based on the company's LauncherOne system. If you'll recall, LauncherOne uses a two-stage rocket dropped from a carrier aircraft. Its earlier iterations could only carry up to 500 pounds of payload. Orbit will use a modified Boeing 747 called "Cosmic Girl" that'll allow the system to ferry a bigger rocket with heavier cargo to Low Earth Orbit.
