Mission ends shortly after the LauncherOne rocket was released from its “Cosmic Girl” plane. SpaceX’s Elon Musk sends his condolences.
Officials from billionaire mogul Richard Branson’s Long Beach-based Virgin Orbit said a crucial test of its two-stage, orbital rocket system — designed to rival that of Elon Musk’s SpaceX for satellite launches — ended its mission shortly after the rocket was released from a Boeing Co. 747.
The plane, named Cosmic Girl, took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California on Monday, May 25, at 11:56 a.m. Pacific Time, carrying beneath it Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket over the Pacific Ocean. About an hour later, the plane released the rocket in what Virgin Orbit called a “clean” release. Three minutes later, the company said the mission had ended, however.
There have been more than 20 previous tests, including one earlier this year carrying the rocket, but this was meant to be the first time LauncherOne had been ignited. Earlier this week, Virgin Orbit described Monday’s test as “the apex of a five-year-long development program.”
“We’ve confirmed a clean release from the aircraft. However, the mission terminated shortly into the flight,” the company tweeted Monday. “Cosmic Girl and our flight crew are safe and returning to base.”
Prior to Monday’s attempt, Virgin Orbit said maiden flights by government and commercial providers typically fail about half the time.
