Sir Richard Branson’s newly-formed rocket launch company has successfully completed a first test flight of a modified jumbo jet designed to launch satellites into space.
Virgin Orbit, which the British billionaire spun out of his Virgin Galactic venture last year, plans to launch small commercial and government-built satellites into space. Rather than taking-off from the ground, rockets containing the satellites are strapped to a specially adapted commercial jet before being launched midair.
On Sunday, the company’s specially modified Boeing 747-400, known as “Cosmic Girl”, completed its first test flight in California, carrying a 70-foot-long rocket under its wing.
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Virgin Orbit said the 80-minute flight was used to gather data on the system’s performance, take-off and landing. It hopes to launch a rocket into orbit in the new year.
The company says it has already compiled “mountains of data” and plans to conduct more test flights, with and without the rocket attached. The next step will be to complete a drop test during which a rocket will be launched from the plane to collect data on the rocket’s performance as it falls through the atmosphere.
Virgin Orbit says that launching rockets while airborne, rather than taking off from a launch pad, saves on costly ground infrastructure. Midair launches are less weather dependent and free up missions from traffic jams at launch sites.
Its sister company Virgin Galactic has faced multiple delays as it seeks to send passengers into space. Sir Richard told The Telegraph earlier this year that a full launch was “tantalisingly close”. The company has faced some setbacks including a crash of the VSS Enterprise in 2014, which killed one of its two pilots.
Sir Richard last month cancelled a proposed billion-dollar investment in Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit amid the alleged murder of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
He recently stepped down from the board of another US venture, Virgin Hyperloop One, which this month replaced its chief executive amid a management clear-out.