Virgin Orbit fired the LauncherOne rocket into orbit for the first time in history in hopes of bringing a handful of satellites and deploy them safely on behalf of NASA to low Earth orbit. For the small satellite launch business, January 17's launch is a crucial achievement.
The company has shown that its prototype carrier aircraft/small payload space delivery rocket functions as planned for the first time. It could set the company up quite quickly to begin operational operations of its launch vehicle.
The recent flight was a pleasant triumph for the Virgin project, which since its first launch attempt last spring has been buffeted by setbacks. Due to breakage in its propellant line, May's first test flight was halted seconds after the rocket was released. Company officials expected the second launch in December after engineers had found and resolved the problem, but opted to delay it as Covid-19 cases spiked around their Los Angeles headquarters.
The organization said it learned a lot from that effort, including finding the mistake that prompted the fail-safe engine to shut down, which it corrected before the mission today.
Here's what happened
Before 2 PM EDT, Virgin's Celestial Girl took off and then separated LauncherOne from its wing at about 2:40 PM EDT. LauncherOne had a "safe separation" as planned, and then ignited its own rocket engines and steadily accelerated to the point that the highest amount of aerodynamic pressure was encountered (called max q in the aerospace industry) After its burn, LauncherOne's main engine then cut off, and its payload stage split, passing the Karman line and for the first time entering space.
At about 2:49 PM EDT, it entered orbit and launched its satellite payload on schedule to its target orbit sometime later, rendering the project a total success.
The unique benefit proposition of Virgin Orbit in the limited launch segment is that, due to its fighter aircraft and mid-air space launch strategy, it will take off and land from conventional runways. In terms of launch sites, this could offer versatility, enabling it to be more sensitive to consumer demands in terms of geography and target orbital deliveries.
About Virgin Orbit
Virgin Orbit was spun out of Virgin Galactic in 2017 to concentrate solely on tiny payloads orbital deployment. Virgin Galactic then dedicated herself completely to her own task of providing human spaceflight commercially. Earlier this year, Virgin Orbit itself formed its own division, named VOX Space, which plans to use LauncherOne to distribute tiny orbital satellites exclusively for the U.S. national security industry.
A launch price of about $12 million is aimed at Virgin Orbit. Although it doesn't mean it won't have a rivalry. A little over 1,000 pounds can be borne by LauncherOne, which ensures it lies right in the center of the range in payload capacity. SpaceX mainly rockets big satellites that are outside the capacity of LauncherOne. Still, lately the organization started providing ride-share services that carry a lot of tiny satellites on the same rocket to space. The Rocket Lab, whose electron rocket will take up to 500 pounds into orbit, is on the launch scale's lighter end.
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