Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Virgin Orbit Shows Off Launcher One, Cosmic Girl
Virgin Orbit, the space launch startup which is backed by Sir Richard Brason, showed off its small satellite launch vehicle, the LauncherOne today, posting images of the launch vehicle in Long Beach Airport being mated with its Cosmic Girl launch vehicle--a converted 747. Virgin Orbit is attaching the LauncherOne rocket on the underside of the Cosmic Girl, which will take the launch vehicle high into the atmosphere before release into orbit. Virgin Orbit is hoping to soon launch its first orbital mission.
#CosmicGirl, meet #LauncherOne. LauncherOne, meet Cosmic Girl. We think you’ll be friends!
— Virgin Orbit (@Virgin_Orbit) October 24, 2018
We’re conducting some fit checks now with our dedicated smallsat launch vehicle and our 747 flying launch pad. It’s a beautiful day here in Long Beach! pic.twitter.com/0r25L26IdR