Virgin Orbit, a small satellite company that hopes to launch rockets to space from the wing of a plane, failed in its attempt to launch for the first time today – but says it is already building its next rocket to try again.
Virgin Orbit, a small satellite company that hopes to launch rockets to space from the wing of a plane, failed in its attempt today to launch for the first time – but says it is already building its next rocket to try again.
The company, based in California and owned by U. K. entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, conducted the launch attempt earlier today, Monday, May 25, over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles.
Using a modified Boeing 747 jet called Cosmic Girl, Virgin Orbit lofted its LauncherOne rocket into the skies from the Mojave Air and Space Port. The goal was to drop the 16-meter-long rocket at an altitude of nearly 11,000 meters (35,000 feet), which would then ignite its engine and make its way to space.
However, shortly after the drop occurred at 12.50 P. M. Pacific Time, the company reported that an “anomaly occurred in first stage flight.” The mission was subsequently terminated, with the plane and its crew returning safely to the ground.
“We accomplished many of the goals we set for ourselves, though not as many as we would have liked,” Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said in a statement.
