Virgin Orbit successfully completed its first night mission: 7 satellites put into orbit

Virgin Orbit successfully completed its first night mission, placing satellites in low earth orbit. The mission, called Straight Up, was the company’s fourth successfully completed flight. The company has completed the first of three missions for the US Space Force with the mission.

Preparing for their first international mission

Virgin Orbit, which began commercial operations in June last year, uses a rocket called LauncherOne, which is launched from high altitude with a Boeing 747 taking off from traditional airport runways to launch satellites. The rocket leaves the 747 to fire its own engines to put the satellites into orbit.

As part of the Straight Up mission, which was carried out in the past days, the Boeing 747 and the aircraft-mounted LauncherOne rocket, which took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, reached an altitude of 35,000 feet (10,700 meters), and the rocket left the plane to place the satellites about 500 km above the earth’s surface. All seven satellites were successfully placed into orbit in the mission.

Virgin Orbit says it’s expanding its ability to launch from anywhere in the world with its first night mission. The company plans to launch internationally this year with the UK Space Agency and the Royal Air Force.