Virgin Orbit has declared its third mission, which it dubbed “Above the Clouds” in honor of the Gang Starr album “Moment of Truth” that Virgin Records published in 1998, a success.
Above the Clouds saw Virgin Orbit deploy seven research satellites for the Department of Defense. The company says on its website that the satellites were received “from multiple government agencies,” and that they “are experiments in space-based communications and in-space navigation, as well as a university payload sponsored by NASA.”
Virgin Orbit says that it delivered the payload using a LauncherOne rocket that was released from a 747 carrier aircraft called Cosmic Girl the afternoon of Jan. 13.
“After a smooth release from the aircraft,” Virgin Orbit says in its announcement, “the LauncherOne rocket ignited and propelled itself towards space, ultimately deploying its payload into a precise target orbit approximately 500km above the Earth’s surface at 45 degrees inclination. This is the first time that anyone has reached this orbit from the West Coast.”
Virgin Orbit flew its first mission in January 2021; the second mission followed in June 2021. The company says the successful deployment of the seven research satellites during the Above the Clouds mission brings the total number of satellites it’s launched into space up to 26. It hasn’t revealed for when the next mission is scheduled, but odds are good it won’t be waiting long.
