Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit fails in its first attempt to launch a rocket carried by a Boeing 747 over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California.
Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit has failed in its first attempt to launch a rocket carried by a Boeing 747 off the coast of Southern California.The jumbo jet took off from Mojave Air and Space Port in the desert north of Los Angeles
"After being released from the carrier aircraft, the LauncherOne rocket successfully lighted its booster engine on cue — the first time the company had attempted an in-air ignition," Virgin Orbit said in a statement.The attempt was a key test for the company's plan to launch satellites into space, and followed five years of development on the 21.3-metre LauncherOne rocket.
How long the setback will affect the company is not immediately clear. It has six additional rockets under construction in its factory.A successful launch by Virgin Orbit would have marked a dramatic step in getting back on track after the coronavirus pandemic sent most employees home earlier this year.
Virgin Orbit says it has dozens of missions on the books for customers including the US Space Force and Britain's Royal Air Force.Mr Hart did not provide a specific dollar value for the missions, but characterised it as "hundreds of millions".
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Branson's Virgin Orbit launch bid fails'We've confirmed a clean release from the aircraft. However, the mission terminated shortly into the flight,' Virgin Orbit said.
Read more »
Branson's Virgin Orbit launch bid fails'We've confirmed a clean release from the aircraft. However, the mission terminated shortly into the flight,' Virgin Orbit said.
Read more »
Virgin's administrators put brakes on plane repossessionsVirgin Australia's administrators have chalked up a minor victory after striking a deal to stop the carrier's fleet being repossessed by angry financiers mid-way through the group's sale process sdanck
Read more »
'Worst I've ever seen': How COVID-19 accelerated the media industry's woesDespite the unprecedented audience thirst for news, business models are failing and outlets are going bust | zoesam93
Read more »
Hundreds of Russian, Syrian mercenaries quit Libya's front linesMore than 1000 Russian and Syrian mercenaries in Libya have pulled back from the front lines after a Turkish military intervention helped block an assault on the capital
Read more »
NASA astronauts complete dress rehearsal for groundbreaking SpaceX launchNASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will be part of the first attempt by a private company to send astronauts into orbit, and it is going to be 'quite a show', according Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Read more »