Virgin Galactic's orbital plans

FighterJock said:
steelpillow said:
According to that, they are only expanding by one at the moment, and that is down to anticipated demand rather than operational flexibility.
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And it is only a matter of time before they expand the fleet further considering the number of 747's that will be available in the future as the Jumbos are being retired from commercial service around the world.
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What planes they buy when the time comes will depend a great deal on the relative pace of change in the space launch and aero engine industries. It may well be that by the time Virgin need their next launcher, or the one after that, the old engines in the 747 will be too polluting to be acceptable and a newer type will be required, either as a re-engined 747 or a whole new airframe to go with them. I'd hate to be a betting man on this one.
 
The LauncherOne rocket scheduled to fire into orbit Wednesday night will carry seven CubeSat missions sponsored by the U.S. military and NASA. The launch service was purchased from Virgin Orbit through the military’s Rocket Systems Launch Program and officials from the military’s Space Test Program assigned experimental satellites to ride LauncherOne into orbit.

The Space Force awarded Virgin Orbit at $35 million contract in 2020 for three launches carrying Space Test Program payloads. The military calls contract STP-S28, and the mission this week is known as STP-S28A, the first of the three launches contracted with Virgin Orbit.

The two-stage LauncherOne rocket will aim to place the seven payloads — five funded by the military and two by NASA — into a 310-mile-high orbit inclined 45 degrees to the equator. Virgin Orbit has nicknamed the mission “Straight Up” in honor of the breakthrough song from Paula Abdul released on Virgin Records in 1988.

The launch window for the STP-S28A mission opens at 10 p.m. PDT Wednesday (1 a.m. EDT Thursday). A Boeing 747 carrier aircraft, named “Cosmic Girl,” will carry the 70-foot-long (21.3-meter) LauncherOne rocket aloft from Mojave Air and Space Port, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of downtown Los Angeles.
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TomcatViP said:
The LauncherOne rocket scheduled to fire into orbit Wednesday night will carry seven CubeSat missions sponsored by the U.S. military and NASA. The launch service was purchased from Virgin Orbit through the military’s Rocket Systems Launch Program and officials from the military’s Space Test Program assigned experimental satellites to ride LauncherOne into orbit.

The Space Force awarded Virgin Orbit at $35 million contract in 2020 for three launches carrying Space Test Program payloads. The military calls contract STP-S28, and the mission this week is known as STP-S28A, the first of the three launches contracted with Virgin Orbit.

The two-stage LauncherOne rocket will aim to place the seven payloads — five funded by the military and two by NASA — into a 310-mile-high orbit inclined 45 degrees to the equator. Virgin Orbit has nicknamed the mission “Straight Up” in honor of the breakthrough song from Paula Abdul released on Virgin Records in 1988.

The launch window for the STP-S28A mission opens at 10 p.m. PDT Wednesday (1 a.m. EDT Thursday). A Boeing 747 carrier aircraft, named “Cosmic Girl,” will carry the 70-foot-long (21.3-meter) LauncherOne rocket aloft from Mojave Air and Space Port, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of downtown Los Angeles.
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Virgin Orbit doing a night mission for the Space Force? that is a first for them. I wish Virgin Orbit good luck with this mission.
 
spacenews.com

Virgin Orbit launches Space Force mission

Virgin Orbit successfully placed a set of payloads for the U.S. Space Force into orbit early July 2 in the company’s first nighttime launch.
spacenews.com spacenews.com
Straight Up was Virgin Orbit’s second mission of the year after a launch in a January. The next launch, expected no sooner than September, will be the company’s first launch from the United Kingdom, flying out of Spaceport Cornwall. That launch is slated to be the first orbital launch by any vehicle from Great Britain.
“The success of the Straight Up mission is another exciting milestone on our way to seeing the first satellite launch from U.K. soil,” said Matthew Archer, director of commercial spaceflight at the U.K. Space Agency, in a statement after observing the launch from Mojave. “We are working closely with Virgin Orbit and it was a privilege to be alongside our partners to witness another successful launch for the team.”
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virginorbit.com

THE NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE IS PARTNERING WITH THE UK’S MINISTRY OF DEFENCE ON HISTORIC MISSION ABOARD VIRGIN ORBIT’S LAUNCHERONE | Virgin Orbit

virginorbit.com virginorbit.com
LONG BEACH, Calif. — June 28, 2022 — Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB) announces today that it will carry a joint mission between the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the United States’ National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in its historic flight out of Newquay Airport in Cornwall, England later this year. It will be the first rocket launch from British soil, and the first commercial launch from Western Europe.

Virgin Orbit will send two satellites to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) using the LauncherOne launch platform aboard Cosmic Girl, a modified Boeing 747 aircraft. The Prometheus 2 CubeSats will provide a test platform for monitoring radio signals including GPS and sophisticated imaging, expected to pave the way for a more collaborative and connected space communication system with our allies.
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Next up: Spaceport Cornwall

Virgin Orbit is also rapidly expanding overseas and will launch its next mission from the United Kingdom. The flight will take place from Spaceport Cornwall, at Newquay Cornwall Airport. It will be the first rocket launch from British soil and the first commercial launch from Western Europe.

The payload will consist of several commercial and research satellites, including the first Welsh-built satellite. The earth observation satellite was supplied by UK in-orbit manufacturing startup Space Forge. The payload will also include the Kingdom of Oman’s first-ever satellite and a joint mission from the US and UK consisting of two 6U CubeSats flying in tandem formation to measure the ionosphere and radiation environment from multiple vantage points.

“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 of the announcement. “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.”
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www.spaceconnectonline.com.au

Exclusive: Launching rockets from 747s will change industry

The president of Virgin Orbit has told Space Connect Podcast that the company’s plan to launch rockets from repurposed 747s will transform the space industry. Exclusive: Launching rockets from 747s will change industry...
www.spaceconnectonline.com.au www.spaceconnectonline.com.au
 
RAF%20C-17%20Globemaster%20arrived%20at%20Space%20Cornwall%20carrying%20Virgin%20Orbit%27s%20launcher%20one%20rocket%2015102022%20CREDIT%20UK%20Space%20Command%2C%20Virgin%20Orbit.jpg


www.forces.net

RAF C-17 Globemaster delivers Virgin Orbit's 'LauncherOne' rocket to Cornwall

Space Cornwall is preparing for the first-ever space launch from UK soil.
www.forces.net www.forces.net
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1582028565444726786
View: https://twitter.com/ukspacecmd/status/1582028565444726786


As part of a trial into responsive space launches, a @99Sqn C-17 Globemaster from @RAFBrizeNorton transported @VirginOrbit’s ‘LauncherOne’ rocket from to last week

The ∼70ft rocket was handled by RAF Movers, Air Loadmasters & the Joint Air Delivery Test & Evaluation Unit
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1582029206900600832
View: https://twitter.com/ukspacecmd/status/1582029206900600832


The C-17 & LauncherOne arrived at @SpaceCornwall on Friday evening. Cosmic Girl, Virgin Orbit's launch aircraft, also arrived last week

Squadron Leader ‘Stanny’ Stannard, an RAF Test Pilot working within Virgin Orbit, will be part of the crew delivering this historic launch
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1582029372575604739
View: https://twitter.com/ukspacecmd/status/1582029372575604739


Horizontal launches, provided by commercial companies from airports around the world, offer flexibility for Government & industry customers

The RAF & UK Space Command are using this project to enhance our understanding of responsive space launches & the use of small satellites
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Virgin Orbit acknowledged it has taken longer than planned to get approvals for its first launch from the United Kingdom but still expects to conduct the mission before the end of the year.

In an earnings call after the release of its third quarter financial results Nov. 7, Virgin Galactic Chief Executive Dan Hart said there was not any “showstopper” preventing the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) from issuing a launch license for the “Start Me Up” mission from England’s Spaceport Cornwall but that the process was being delayed.
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The mission is now scheduled for launch as soon as later this month, but Virgin Orbit is still awaiting a CAA launch license and Spaceport Cornwall also has pending a spaceport license from the agency. Hart, in the call, did not estimate when he expected the CAA to issue the licenses.

“The good news is that we don’t see a showstopper or a big issue we’re working,” he said. “But, it is taking longer than we had anticipated and it is taking a bit more effort than we anticipated as well.”
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The delays have attracted the attention of a House of Commons committee, which released a report Nov. 4 criticizing those delays and calling for more personnel to be assigned to reviewing license applications. “For this initial set of licence applications, the Department for Transport must provide additional resource to the CAA to ensure that the licensing process does not impede the feasibility of a launch this year,” the report stated.

A source familiar with the CAA’s licensing activities, speaking on background, noted that the CAA now had about 50 people working on license applications, up from the 35 mentioned in the report. That included one person seconded to the CAA from the U.S. Federation Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation.
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“We are assessing the evidence supporting a range of space industry license applications to determine if they meet the statutory requirements for granting space licenses for U.K. launch, which include safety, security and the environment,” a spokesperson for the CAA said in a statement to SpaceNews. “We’re committed to helping drive forward a U.K. space sector and continue to work proactively with all parties. As part of this, it is important we do so with a view to prioritizing public safety, and be satisfied that steps being taken by operators manage safety risks to as low as reasonably practicable.”
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spacenews.com

Virgin Orbit says U.K launch licensing taking longer than expected - SpaceNews

Virgin Orbit acknowledged it has taken longer than planned to get approvals for its first launch from the U.K. but still expects it to occur this year.
spacenews.com spacenews.com
 
www.telegraph.co.uk

Richard Branson's UK space launch delayed again – 24 hours after it got the go-ahead

Hopes of launching Britain's first space mission this year are fading
www.telegraph.co.uk www.telegraph.co.uk

Sir Richard Branson’s hopes of launching Britain’s first space mission this year are fading after Virgin Orbit was forced to delay next week’s take-off – just 24 hours after confirming it was going ahead.

Dan Hart, Virgin Orbit chief executive, said the Civil Aviation Authority’s refusal to give the company an operating licence meant the launch would be delayed again.

Britain’s first ever space mission was scheduled to take place on the night of December 14, Virgin Orbit announced yesterday.

But Virgin Orbit was forced to row back on its plans within hours. The company will now "retarget launch for the coming weeks".
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The most interesting part is that they didn't figure earlier that they would need to have some internal carriage capability with their launch aircraft.


c-17-cargo-hold-dimensions.jpg
 

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Matt Archer from the UK Space Agency joins us for a second time to explain the importance of today's launch from Spaceport Cornwall. And it isn't just Virgin Orbit! Sierra Space, ABL and others are watching this historic moment as a new age in spaceflight begins!
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Sad very sad, that the rocket failed to reach orbit due to an anomaly, I watched it on the BBC News Channel this morning. No doubt there will be an investigation to find out what caused the anomaly in the first place.
 
The Second stage use a pressure fed rocket engine.

can be lost of helium pressure in propellants tanks that feed the engine,
or combustion instability by wrong propellant mixture or helium contamination.
 
FighterJock said:
Sad very sad, that the rocket failed to reach orbit due to an anomaly, I watched it on the BBC News Channel this morning. No doubt there will be an investigation to find out what caused the anomaly in the first place.
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Assuming VO lasts long enough to complete a full investigation. Lots of speculation that this is going to kill the company because it's running low on VC money.
 
TomS said:
FighterJock said:
Sad very sad, that the rocket failed to reach orbit due to an anomaly, I watched it on the BBC News Channel this morning. No doubt there will be an investigation to find out what caused the anomaly in the first place.
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Assuming VO lasts long enough to complete a full investigation. Lots of speculation that this is going to kill the company because it's running low on VC money.
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It will be very sad if VO gets killed of just because of this issue with the anomaly. Those people who want it killed of are just idiots and should be ignored. :mad:
 
FighterJock said:
TomS said:
FighterJock said:
Sad very sad, that the rocket failed to reach orbit due to an anomaly, I watched it on the BBC News Channel this morning. No doubt there will be an investigation to find out what caused the anomaly in the first place.
Click to expand...

Assuming VO lasts long enough to complete a full investigation. Lots of speculation that this is going to kill the company because it's running low on VC money.
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It will be very sad if VO gets killed of just because of this issue with the anomaly. Those people who want it killed of are just idiots and should be ignored. :mad:
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The company is not doing well financially anyway. They've been running at a huge loss, with a launch cadence so low that launch services revenue clearly isn't even making a dent in their costs. This may just be the final nail.

arstechnica.com

Even before Monday’s launch failure, Virgin Orbit’s finances were dismal

Some financial analysts believe the company will run out of money in March.
arstechnica.com arstechnica.com

It's not obvious to me that there's a huge demand for the capabilities that VO theoretically offers. For all that they promise easy relocatable launch, getting clearance to use alternate sites has been really hard. And it's not like they were launching into orbits that are inaccessible to other small sat launchers that are cheaper and offer much better launch cadence (Rocket Lab, for example).
 
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It was probably too early to take that kind of risk. I am however happy for that Branson bluff. Nothing comes for free. And the ESA didn't even get much higher lately. Let's be honest.

At least, it was empowering for the rest of the world to see Brits cheerfully embrace space despite a very British weather (I was following the event with Sky news).
 
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The accident will be being investigated jointly by the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB), in it's guise as the UK Space Accident Investigation Authority (SAIA), and the FAA.

The AAIB had investigators at Spaceport Cornwall observing the launch.

www.gov.uk

SAIA and FAA to jointly oversee Virgin Orbit investigation

Safety investigation launched into the system anomaly which occurred during the UK’s inaugural space launch on 9 January 2023.
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk
 

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