Virgin Orbit, the spinoff of Virgin Galactic that is developing the LauncherOne small launch vehicle, is now planning a first flight of that rocket in the first half of 2018, the company said Aug. 1.
Virgin Orbit updated the timetable for LauncherOne in a statement announcing the arrival of the rocket’s carrier aircraft, a converted Boeing 747, at Long Beach Airport in California, where Virgin Orbit has its manufacturing facility. The plane recently completed an extensive modification program to serve as the air-launch platform for LauncherOne.
The current payload is 300 kg at 500 km, at $12 million a pop: for the benefit of my readers who are used to real numbers, this is equivalent to putting something between the sizes of Sputnik 1 and 2 into an orbit that can easily enough reach the International Space Station. Put it even more simply: Virgin Orbit can’t yet put enough mass in orbit for a telecommunications satellite, but if they can keep the costs down that $12 million’s going to look appealing. Launches are expensive.
They also get points for using a modified 747. Kind of retro.
Well, they had a 747 already lying around so….