Virgin Orbit

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Virgin Orbit

#1 Post by PHXPhlyer » Mon Jan 18, 2021 12:38 am

Virgin Orbit launches rocket off a 747 aircraft, puts nine satellites in space

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/17/tech/vir ... index.html

Virgin Orbit launches rocket off a 747 aircraft, puts nine satellites in space
Jackie Wattles
By Jackie Wattles, CNN Business

Updated 5:50 PM ET, Sun January 17, 2021

Austin, Texas (CNN Business)A 70-foot rocket, riding beneath the wing of a retrofitted Boeing 747 aircraft, detached from the plane and fired itself into Earth's orbit on Sunday — marking the first successful launch for the California-based rocket startup Virgin Orbit.

Virgin Orbit's 747, nicknamed Cosmic Girl, took off from California around 10:30 am PT with the rocket, called LauncherOne, nestled beneath the plane's left wing. The aircraft flew out over the Pacific Ocean before the rocket was released, freeing LauncherOne and allowing it to power up its rocket motor and propel itself to more than 17,000 miles per hour, fast enough to begin orbiting the Earth.
"In both a literal and figurative sense, this is miles beyond how far we reached in our first Launch Demo," the company posted on its Twitter account.

The rocket flew a group of tiny satellites on behalf of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, or ELaNa, program, which allows high school and college students to design and assemble small satellites that NASA then pays to launch into space. The nine small satellites that Virgin Orbit flew on Sunday included temperature-monitoring satellite from the University of Colorado at Boulder, a satellite that will study how tiny particles collide in space from the University of Central Florida, and an experimental radiation-detection satellite from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
About four hours after takeoff on Saturday, Virgin Orbit confirmed in a tweet that all the satellites were "successfully deployed into our target orbit."

The successful mission makes Virgin Orbit only the third so-called "New Space" company — startups hoping to overhaul the traditional industry with innovative technologies — to reach orbit, after SpaceX and Rocket Lab. The success also paves the way for Virgin Orbit to begin launching satellites for a host of customers that it already has lined up, including NASA, the military and private-sector companies that use satellites for commercial purposes.
Virgin Orbit spun off from Virgin Galactic, a company focused on suborbital human spaceflight, in 2017. Virgin Orbit conducted several "drop tests" of its LauncherOne rocket, which involved flying the vehicle out over the Pacific and letting it plunge into the ocean to vet the 747's release mechanism. Virgin Orbit's first attempt to put a rocket in orbit came last May, when LauncherOne malfunctioned shortly after release and the flight was aborted. That failure wasn't unexpected.
"Launching from the Earth to space is mind-bogglingly difficult," the company said after the 2020 launch attempt.
Virgin Orbit had expected to try a second orbital launch attempt in late 2020, but the company was forced to postpone after "a few" of its employees tested positive for Covid-19, according to an email from the company. That left many employees potentially exposed to the virus and under preventative quarantine, the company said.

"We're grateful and fortunate that most of our teammates have since cleared their preventative quarantines, allowing us to proceed with pre-launch operations," the company said on December 31, "albeit with even more extreme measures in place to protect the health and safety of our team."
Virgin Orbit, like other space technology companies in the United States, is permitted to continue operations throughout the pandemic because the government deemed the space sector part of the country's "critical infrastructure" in March. As one industry group argued, the sector's commercial activity is also intertwined with crucial US national security projects and NASA programs.

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Re: Virgin Orbit

#2 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Jan 18, 2021 6:56 am

Meanwhile in far off New Zealand...

The small-satellite launch company Rocket Lab called off its first launch of 2021 from New Zealand Saturday (Jan. 16) due to strange sensor readings ahead of liftoff.

A Rocket Lab Electron booster was scheduled to launch a microsatellite for the European space technology company OHB Group from New Zealand's Māhia Peninsula at 2:38 a.m. EST (8:38 p.m. New Zealand time; 0738 GMT), but unexpected data from an inclinometer on the booster prompted a delay.

"We had an inclinometer showing some strange data. It's not used for flight, but we want to understand it all the same," Rocket Lab representatives wrote in an update early Saturday. "That's part of the beauty of operating our own launch range, we have the luxury of time to roll back out when we're ready."

Rocket Lab has a 10-day window in which to launch its first flight of the year, called "Another One Leaves the Crust," from its Launch Complex 1 site. The mission will mark the 18th flight for Rocket Lab.

"We are standing down from today’s mission to review sensor data," the company added in another update. "Fortunately we have a 10-day window for this mission, so we have plenty of backup opportunities in the days to come.

The mission's microsatellite payload for OHB Group is designed to "enable specific frequencies to support future services from orbit," according to Rocket Lab. The flight was arranged by OHB Cosmos, the launch procurement arm for OHB Group.


Based in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab launched eight Electron missions in 2020 and is seeking to ramp up its launch rate in 2021 with the addition of two new launch pads. Launch Complex 2 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia, is expected to see its first liftoff later this year. Meanwhile, the company is building another pad near Launch Complex 1 to boost its launch capabilities from the Māhia Peninsula.
https://www.space.com/rocket-lab-anothe ... unch-delay

electron.jpg

Rocket Lab
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Re: Virgin Orbit

#3 Post by Pontius Navigator » Mon Jan 18, 2021 12:35 pm

Another One Leaves the Crust
As long as the other catch phrase is avoided.

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Re: Virgin Orbit

#4 Post by PHXPhlyer » Thu Mar 16, 2023 5:05 pm

Virgin Orbit, Richard Branson's satellite launch company, to pause operations
The decision follows a tumultuous few months for the California-based company.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/v ... -rcna75256

Virgin Orbit, the satellite launch company founded by the billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, is pausing all operations and furloughing nearly all of its employees, in an attempt to shore up its finances.

Employees were notified Wednesday in an all-hands staff meeting, as was first reported by CNBC, but the company has not said how long the operational hold will last.

“Virgin Orbit is initiating a company-wide operational pause, effective March 16, 2023, and anticipates providing an update on go-forward operations in the coming weeks,” the company said in a statement provided to NBC News.

The decision follows a tumultuous few months for the California-based company. Virgin Orbit’s first attempt to launch satellites from the United Kingdom failed in January, and its rocket and nine onboard satellites were destroyed.

In a report filed Wednesday to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Virgin Orbit said the company-wide operational hold was put in place “in order to conserve capital while the Company conducts discussions with potential funding sources and explores strategic opportunities.”

The news sent the company’s shares tumbling 18.8% in extended trading Wednesday, according to Reuters.

Virgin Orbit was founded in 2017 with the aim to launch small satellites into orbit. The company uses a modified 747 passenger jet to carry and then release its LauncherOne rocket from an altitude of around 35,000 feet.

Virgin Orbit officials have said that this system of launching from the air gives the company more flexibility over competitors whose rockets lift off from launch pads on the ground.

The company’s failure in January was a major setback. The mission was a collaboration between Virgin Orbit, the U.K. Space Agency, the Royal Air Force and the Cornwall Council, and marked the aerospace firm’s first international launch attempt.

A subsequent investigation found that an engine in the rocket’s upper stage malfunctioned, causing it to shut down prematurely.

“In space launch, a failure is painful for all involved,” Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said in a statement Feb. 14. “Intense disappointment gets quickly channeled into the motivation to dig into the cause, to understand all contributing elements and to thereby get back to flight with a better system and a wiser team. Our investigation is not yet complete; the team is hard at work and we’ll pursue the cause and contributors to wherever the system analysis takes us.”

Prior to the U.K. outing, Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket successfully reached orbit four times on missions launched from California’s Mojave Air and Space Port.

In a statement, Virgin Orbit said its next rocket, for an upcoming launch from California, is in the “final stages of integration and test,” but the company has not released any further details on the timing of that mission.

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Re: Virgin Orbit

#5 Post by Woody » Thu Mar 16, 2023 6:27 pm

File alongside Virgin Media,Trains,Vodka etc :(
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Re: Virgin Orbit

#6 Post by G-CPTN » Thu Mar 16, 2023 6:57 pm

Virgin Obit?

You forgot something Mate(s).

Skyns are to be packed in fours.

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Re: Virgin Orbit

#7 Post by PHXPhlyer » Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:40 pm

Virgin Orbit fails to secure funding, will cease operations
Virgin Orbit stock closed at 34 cents a share on Thursday, having fallen 82% since the beginning of the year.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/v ... -rcna77507

Virgin Orbit is ceasing operations “for the foreseeable future” after failing to secure a funding lifeline, CEO Dan Hart told employees during an all-hands meeting on Thursday afternoon, and will layoff about 90% of its workforce.

“Unfortunately we’ve not been able to secure the funding to provide a clear path for this company,” Hart said, according to audio of the 5 p.m. ET meeting obtained by CNBC.

Hart has been giving the company’s employees brief daily updates since Monday, when Virgin Orbit last minute delayed a scheduled all-hands meeting to Thursday. Late-stage deal talks had fallen through with a pair of investors over the weekend, but Hart told staff on Monday that “very dynamic” investment discussions were continuing.

Those investor discussions continued this week — with Hart saying leadership would share any updates “as quickly and transparently as we can,” noting that leaking emails “is against company policy,” according to copies of Hart’s emails from Tuesday and Wednesday obtained by CNBC.

The company this week has steadily been bringing back more of its over 750 employees from the operational pause and furlough it began on Mar. 15, after initially resuming some work with a “small team” on Mar. 22. Amid the broader pause, Virgin Orbit has been working to finish its investigation into the mid-flight failure of its previous launch, as well as finish preparations on its next rocket.

A Virgin Orbit representative did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Virgin Orbit stock closed at 34 cents a share on Thursday, having fallen 82% since the beginning of the year.

Virgin Orbit developed a system that uses a modified 747 jet to send satellites into space by dropping a rocket from under the aircraft’s wing mid-flight. But the company’s last mission suffered a mid-flight failure, with an issue during the launch causing the rocket to not reach orbit and crash into the ocean.

The company has been looking for new funds for several months, with majority owner Sir Richard Branson unwilling to fund the company further.

Virgin Orbit was spun out of Branson’s Virgin Galactic in 2017 and counts the billionaire as its largest stakeholder, with 75% ownership. Mubadala, the Emirati sovereign wealth fund, holds the second-largest stake in Virgin Orbit, at 18%.

The company hired bankruptcy firms to draw up contingency plans in the event it is unable to find a buyer or investor. Branson has first priority over Virgin Orbit’s assets, as the company raised $60 million in debt from the investment arm of Virgin Group.

On the same day that Hart told employees that Virgin Orbit was pausing operations, its board of directors approved a “golden parachute” severance plan for top executives, in case they are terminated “following a change in control” of the company.

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Re: Virgin Orbit

#8 Post by Pinky the pilot » Mon Apr 03, 2023 6:28 am

, its board of directors approved a “golden parachute” severance plan for top executives, in case they are terminated “following a change in control” of the company.
Oh yes, and what will the 'ordinary workers' get? :-\
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Re: Virgin Orbit

#9 Post by llondel » Mon Apr 03, 2023 7:03 pm

Are they going to change the name to Virgin Obit?

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Re: Virgin Orbit

#10 Post by Woody » Tue Apr 04, 2023 7:00 am

When all else fails, read the instructions.

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Re: Virgin Orbit

#11 Post by OneHungLow » Sat Apr 08, 2023 3:59 am

Another space company that faces an imminent demise is Astra,. They have had multiple launch failures with their current spacecraft, reportedly only have $250 million dollars in available capital, are deeply in debt, and their stock price is close to dropping below the $1.00 bottom limit that might see them delisted from the Nasdaq (they were the first space company listed on that market index). Their stated recovery plan is to redesign a new, larger, launch vehicle using a new engine (from Firefly Aerospace, a company they recently bought) to be tested next year, but given their track record to date, there is now little market faith in their ability to deliver a viable, commercially successful rocket before their money runs out.


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Virgin Orbit ist kaputt as Astra struggles to survive.

#12 Post by OneHungLow » Wed May 24, 2023 5:50 am

Virgin Orbit ceases operations months after failure of UK space mission
California-based company will fold after selling off its assets and filing for bankruptcy in the US


Virgin Orbit, the satellite launch company founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, will permanently cease operations, just months after a major mission failure.

The California-based firm, which had already filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States in early April, has auctioned off its main assets, recovering just over $36m. That figure is barely 1% of the value the company reached in late 2021 on Wall Street, when it was valued at $3.5 billion.

In a statement announcing it was selling its assets to four winning bidders and then folding, Virgin Orbit thanked its employees and stakeholders and said the company will be remembered for its “groundbreaking technologies.”

“Throughout its history, Virgin Orbit has been at the forefront of innovation and has made substantial contributions to the field of commercial rocket launch,” the company said on Tuesday.

The satellite launch company was formed as part of space tourism business Virgin Galactic, which transported Branson into sub-orbital flight in 2021 nine days ahead of his billionaire rival, the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Virgin Orbit spun out on its own from Galactic in 2017, and in late 2021 rode a wave of investor enthusiasm in a merger with a cash shell that listed its shares on New York’s Nasdaq stock exchange.

Its goal was to provide swift and adaptable space launch services for the growing small satellites market. Virgin Orbit used a rocket, LauncherOne, strapped under the wing of a converted Boeing 747 called Cosmic Girl – a horizontal launch method that differs from most rivals’ vertical launches.

The company suffered a crippling setback earlier this year when an attempt to launch the first rocket into space from British soil ended in failure. In January, the launch of a rocket from Cornwall drew huge crowds and mass interest. The company said that an anomaly meant the rocket could not reach the required altitude and was later lost.

Virgin Orbit later paused operations and put staff on furlough in early March as it tried to secure a funding lifeline and stop burning through cash. The company cut 85% of its staff at the end of March after it failed to secure fresh funding.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/202 ... ce-mission

In the face of the loss of its only launch client, namely Virgin Orbit, the ludicrous Cornwall Spaceport looks even more like a total white elephant and its boss is quitting at the end of the month.
The boss of Spaceport Cornwall has quit. Melissa Quinn, the head of Spaceport Cornwall, announced she would be leaving her role at the end of the month. The spacetech enthusiast who has been spearheading the spaceport project for many years and has championed Cornwall as the place to be for the space industry despite the Virgin Orbit setbacks earlier this year, said it was time for her to move on.

She insisted it was not a reflection on the Spaceport itself but a choice made for personal reasons and that she "would continue to cheer from the sidelines".

She said: "This has been one of the hardest decisions of my life, and absolutely no reflection on Spaceport Cornwall, but a personal decision believing it is the right time to move on. It has been a huge challenge, professionally, and personally, to deliver this project, and I am incredibly proud of what my small dedicated team, and I have achieved.

Read next: Spaceport Cornwall says it will focus on building space cluster despite Virgin Orbit pausing all operations

"Mostly I am proud of our work with local young people, especially girls, inspiring them to get into STEAM careers, as well as challenge the status quo. With the cabinet approval last week, I am leaving Spaceport Cornwall at the start of an exciting new chapter, and I will be cheering it on from the side lines.

"I want to say thank you to my team, my family, our partners and to the county of Cornwall for helping to deliver our purpose of Space for Good, and putting Cornwall on the world’s stage. Ad Astra."

Melissa's departure marks the end of an era, as she has been an integral part of the Spaceport team since its inception in 2014. She joined the Spaceport team in its early stages, providing support for the UK Space Agency bid which was achieved making Cornwall the only place in the UK with a duly licenced operational spaceport.

Under her leadership, Spaceport Cornwall achieved a historic milestone with the first-ever UK launch in January 2023. However, while not a reflection on the Cornish facility at Cornwall Airport Newquay, its only launch partner Virg Orbit failed to put its payload of nine satellites for seven national and international clients into orbit and the mission was then declared a failure.

It went from bad to worse for Sir Richard Branson's USA based company as it sought refinancing but ended up being wound down after going bust, leaving hundreds of staff to lose their jobs. Despite the news, Cornwall Council said then that the future of Spaceport Cornwall was not at risk.

As an influential figure in the space industry, Melissa has championed Cornwall on a global stage. She has shared her expertise alongside prestigious organizations such as NASA, Space X, and the United Nations, advocating for increased transparency and consideration of the environmental and societal impacts of space launches.

Prior to her role as head of Spaceport Cornwall, Melissa played a key role in the success of Cornwall Council's Aerohub project, securing Enterprise Zone status and providing support to multiple aerospace businesses across Cornwall. She said she will be announcing a new position in the coming weeks, further contributing to the advancement of space exploration.
https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornw ... ts-8454136

One wonders what Cornish tax payers will think of the misuse of their taxes? Meanwhile the Aerohub boondoggle persists!


Astra doesn't look like it will survive.
Astra Space Reports Zero Revenue
Astra Space (Nasdaq: ASTR) also admitted there is “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue operating. The struggling launch and spacecraft propulsion provider reported zero revenue and a $44.9 million net loss for the first quarter on Monday amid dwindling reserves of cash and securities.

Astra ended the first quarter with $62.7 million in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities. Cash and cash equivalents totaled $16.8 million with $45.9 million in marketable securities.

Astra has filed to raise $100 million through the sale of preferred and common stock, debt securities, debt warrants, equity warrants, rights, and units. The company also reported an $11.45 million launch contract with the U.S. Space Force for Astra’s new Rocket 4, which is due to begin flight tests later this year.
https://parabolicarc.com/2023/05/17/spa ... -momentus/
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