License to launch: UK space regulator gives Virgin Orbit satellites the go-ahead
Ian Annett, deputy chief executive at the UK Space Agency, said:"With Virgin Orbit's licences secured, we have achieved another key delivery milestone ahead of the first satellite launch from the UK."
Virgin also received a range control license from the space regulator, which means it can issue warning notices to tell people they need to keep out of"hazardous areas" and monitor the progress of its rocket. One of Virgin Orbit's differentiators is its horizontal launch of its LauncherOne rocket from its Boeing 747 carrier aircraft, Cosmic Girl. This approach means the company doesn't need a fixed launchpad and can manage trajectories that might not be a possibility when you're plotting a launch from the surface. The Boeing can also fly above the kind of weather that can ground one of its vertically launched counterpart.
The company had planned to perform up to six launches in 2022, but ended up with two being carried through. Hart said on anfor the company's Q3, when it had been"expecting three launches" for the year, that they were"driven by the timing of regulatory approvals, our efforts to obtain certifications for high-value payloads and satellite readiness."
He added that the company had"expanded our geographic reach with the addition of spaceport agreements in Australia, Luxembourg and South Korea."[PDF] that it raised an extra $20 million from its investment arm via a convertible note, expecting to spend it all on working capital. ®
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