We’ve got a lot of very happy customers, says Branson after Virgin Orbit launch
Virgin Orbit has sent seven satellites from 747 plane as part of its second mid-air rocket launch.
Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson has described his excitement after Virgin Orbit delivered seven satellites into space during its second rocket launch from a plane, saying he had “very happy, very satisfied customers from all over the world”.
The company, which which provides launch services for small satellites, used its modified 747 jet – called Cosmic Girl – to carry a 70ft rocket beneath its left wing, taking off from California’s Mojave Desert.
Once the plane was over the Pacific, the LauncherOne rocket separated from the plane at about 37,000ft, before firing its engine and flying into low-Earth orbit.
Speaking to the PA news agency after the launch, Sir Richard said: “Virgin Orbit is putting satellites into space but it is doing it in a very unique way.
“So it has taken a Virgin Atlantic 747, converted the wing, (and) built these enormous rockets that attach to the side of the wing.
“They (the planes) go up to 40,000-odd feet, drop the rocket off, and it goes off into orbit, travelling at 17,500 miles an hour.
“And today they just dropped the satellites, often in the exact place that they needed to be, and they are now feeding back to Earth and we’ve got a lot of very happy, very satisfied customers from all over the world, celebrating in the room next door.”
The LauncherOne released seven satellites from three countries, which include the US’s Department of Defence Space Test Programme, Poland’s SatRevolution, and the Netherlands’ Royal Netherlands Air Force.
It comes after Virgin Orbit carried a cluster of 10 satellites for Nasa to orbit in January.
Sir Richard said its air-launch system can put satellites into orbit at relatively short notice from anywhere in the world, compared with the more traditional way of launching rockets from the ground.
He told PA: “The exciting thing about Virgin Orbit, unlike anybody else who’s putting satellites into space, is that we can literally take off from anywhere in the world.
“We can put satellites into a particular orbit from anywhere in the world, we can offer launch capabilities for countries who don’t have launch capabilities, and we can use Virgin Orbit to connect the two-and-a-half (to) three billion people who are not connected.”
Virgin Orbit chief executive Dan Hart said the next launch is planned for this autumn.
He told PA: “We will be launching at least six times next year and more than double it the following year.
“We have a full facility, production and engine testing, and great 747 to fly on, and so we look forward to serving lots and lots of customers.”
Sir Richard also said there is a team currently focusing on Virgin Hyperloop – a transportation company which aims to allow passengers to travel between cities at up to 700 miles per hour.
“We have got a wonderful team outside Las Vegas working on that – and that’s the next big challenge for Virgin,” he said.
