FighterControl

Virgin Orbit, a leading responsive launch provider, announced today that its latest rocket has completed a full launch rehearsal and is now ready for flight. The window for the company’s next launch, planned to be the first orbital space launch from the U.K., will be determined by the launch permitting regulatory process.

This rehearsal marked the final major acceptance test of the rocket prior to mating to its carrier aircraft – an upcycled Boeing 747 dubbed “Cosmic Girl”– and beginning pre-launch operations. Meanwhile, integration of customer satellites into the rocket’s fairing is expected to begin this week in the newly inaugurated Space Systems Integration Facility (SSIF) at Spaceport Cornwall.

With its newest rocket to date, Virgin Orbit looks to build on an unblemished track record of successful operational orbital launches. To date, the company has delivered each of the thirty-three satellites it has carried precisely to its desired orbit. In doing so, Virgin Orbit’s air-launched system has illustrated the robustness of its system by proving its ability to fly through and above inclement weather, integrate rapid-call up payloads, and reach a broader range of orbits than would be possible from a traditional ground-launched system. Those proven capabilities are vital to the exciting, emerging markets in responsive and international launch.

The company’s most recent rocket completed its full wet dress rehearsal on October 2, three months after the successful launch of its Straight Up mission. This reduction of nearly half of the time required between the company’s previous missions, along with a significant decrease in the cost of manufacturing, continues the trend of the company’s rapid evolution into a higher operational cadence.

As an air-launched system, Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne can turn nearly any airport into a spaceport. This capability creates a new level of mobility for satellite launch, thereby enabling sovereign launch capability in new markets. The launch from the Cornwall spaceport will demonstrate Virgin Orbit’s ability to enable virtually any country to become a spacefaring nation.

Once manufactured, integrated, and tested, a LauncherOne rocket can be sent off to any of a variety of locations for final preparation and launch, responding to the needs of the commercial, civil, and national security space communities.

In addition to the rapidly approaching mission that will bring orbital launch to the United Kingdom for the first time, Virgin Orbit has announced collaborative efforts to bring its unique air launch system to the nations of Australia, Brazil, Japan, Poland, and the Republic of Korea.

TonyO wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 05, 2022 3:48 pm

Appreciate its not military, but it is a 747 carrying a missile so it is a little different.

Seahornet1 wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 06, 2022 6:43 am

TonyO wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 05, 2022 3:48 pm

Appreciate its not military, but it is a 747 carrying a missile so it is a little different.

I know you're just trying to claim relevance (and yes, I think we're all interested enough to accept the topic-stretch... ), but the LauncherOne is most certainly NOT a missile!!!

Ravendriver2008 wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 06, 2022 1:15 pm

Think the Mod will be involved in this venture in the years to come..

LONG BEACH, Calif. — June 7, 2022 — Satellite launch company Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB) announces today that a joint mission between the United Kingdom’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory and the United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is expected to be lofted on the first space launch out of Spaceport Cornwall later this year.

The government agencies’ joint Coordinated Ionospheric Reconstruction CubeSat Experiment (CIRCE) is supported by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Space Test Program (STP), which is organized under the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC). CIRCE will utilize two 6U CubeSats flying in tandem formation to measure the ionosphere and radiation environment from multiple vantage points. The mission will support the two countries’ joint development of a wide range of civil and defense applications, including GPS, radar, communication systems, and sensing technology.

CIRCE will fly alongside other previously announced international commercial customers. In addition, the flight will feature the first Welsh-built satellite supplied by U.K. in-orbit manufacturing start up Space Forge, an earth observation satellite supplied through a joint project with Horizon Technologies and The Catapult – the United Kingdom’s space-tech accelerator, as well as the Kingdom of Oman’s first ever satellite.

Virgin Orbit’s first overseas flight is expected to be the launcher’s fifth consecutive mission carrying commercial and government customers since it began operations in 2021. Virgin Orbit has successfully launched eight previous STP satellites to orbit, demonstrating its ability to launch from any airport with a spaceport certificate.

“We are honored to host this joint mission between the U.S. and U.K. Governments on the launch from Cornwall,” said Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart. “This demonstration, chosen to fly on the United Kingdom’s first space launch from its territory, exhibits the powerful value of collaboration between our two countries and their mutual commitment to delivering the full value of space access for all.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to work with our U.K. and U.S. mission partners to execute this mission, which would achieve milestones across multiple fronts,” said Mark Baird, Virgin Orbit National Systems’ President. “We look forward to continuing to accelerate the operationalization of our capabilities with this mission and providing space access from non-traditional locations—a fundamental facet of our mission to provide a broader space capability.”

“The NRL CIRCE Team is thrilled to be a part of this joint US/UK mission,” said Andrew Nicholas, a principal investigator with the NRL’s CIRCE team. “We look forward to a successful launch out of Spaceport Cornwall and are excited to continue work with our UK partners once the CIRCE science data starts flowing.”

“The CIRCE space weather experiment will join a host of small satellites on board Virgin Orbit’s first launch from the UK, and it’s exciting to see the wide range of commercial, academic and government partners who will share this moment with us,” said Dr. Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency. “We are on track to meet our ambition of becoming the first country to offer commercial launch services from Europe, catalysing investment into our growing space sector and creating hundreds of new jobs. I can’t wait to see Cosmic Girl take to the skies above Spaceport Cornwall later this year.”

“Defence science and technological activity in space has never been more important, whether it is in support of military operations or helping to combat climate change, defence innovation is at the forefront of this work,” said Air Vice-Marshall Paul Godfrey, Commander of UK Space Command. “After it enters orbit from Spaceport Cornwall, CIRCE will enhance our understanding of space weather and help us to keep critical satellites safe from the many hazards associated with operating in space.”

“The countdown to Virgin Orbit’s first launch from Spaceport Cornwall is on, and it’s excellent to have another pair of satellites confirmed for the mission,” said George Freeman, UK Minister for Science, Research & Innovation. “This is a strong demonstration of the close ties between the U.K. and U.S. as we pioneer new and innovative satellite technologies and build global interest in Britain’s emerging launch capabilities.”

“It’s an honour that UK and US partnerships are to be launched from Cornwall and we are proud to support the facilitation of these international milestones,” said Melissa Thorpe, Head of Spaceport Cornwall. “The mission aligns with Spaceport Cornwall’s delivery of ‘space for good,’ by bringing together partners from across the planet in a shared mission to support space-to-planet communications and applications to benefit humanity.”

65thAgressor wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 06, 2022 10:00 pm

Theres a UK space command ? Blimey they must be busy.

The first of the company’s hardware will begin its transport to Cornwall, U.K. on Sunday October 9th, due to arrive at Spaceport Cornwall on Tuesday October 11th with the GSE and rocket quickly following later in the week.

Any ideas on what transport is expected to deliver the mission kit?