posted 01-09-2023 09:04 AM               

All Systems Currently 'Green' Proceeding Toward Historic UK Launch

Partners for the United Kingdom's first orbital launch announced today (Jan. 6) that the initial window for the historic "Start Me Up" mission will officially open on Monday, 9 January at 22:16 UTC [5:16 p.m. EST] with additional back-up dates continuing into mid and late January. "Start Me Up" is a collaborative effort between the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA), Cornwall Council, the Royal Air Force, and Virgin Orbit.

The "Start Me Up" mission will carry satellites from seven customers to space, including commercial and government payloads from several nations and a collaborative US-UK mission.

The LauncherOne system that will conduct the mission is now mated to its carrier aircraft, a Boeing 747 dubbed "Cosmic Girl," at Spaceport Cornwall. On Jan. 5, Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne system successfully completed an end-to-end launch rehearsal, taking the integrated system through to the loading of propellants and proceeding through terminal count, resulting in the verification of the health of the system and readiness of the team. 

Given the number of "firsts" being executed for this launch – the first orbital launch from UK soil or from anywhere in western Europe – Virgin Orbit and its partners will maintain a conservative posture with regard to system health, weather, and all other elements of scheduling.

Spaceport Cornwall received the United Kingdom's first-ever spaceport license from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in November. In late December, Virgin Orbit was issued first-of-their-kind launch and range control licenses, which ensured all regulatory, safety, and environmental requirements have been met. The CAA announced that all of the satellites flying on this mission have received their licenses as well.

The forthcoming mission from Cornwall, titled "Start Me Up" in honor of the Rolling Stones' 1981 hit, will contain many firsts: the first orbital launch from the United Kingdom, the first international launch for Virgin Orbit, and the first commercial launch from western Europe. 

Ian Annett, Deputy CEO at the UK Space Agency, said: "We are entering a new era for space in the UK with the first ever satellite launch from UK soil and from Europe. This is a significant landmark for the nation, the UK Space Agency and for all those who have worked so hard over many years to make our ambitions to create a commercial space launch capability a reality.  

"The development of new orbital launch capabilities is already generating growth, catalysing investment and creating jobs in Cornwall and other communities across the United Kingdom. This will lead to new careers, improved productivity and inspire the next generation of space professionals, and this is just the beginning. I look forward to seeing more launches from other UK spaceports over the next year, putting us firmly on the map as Europe's leading destination for commercial small satellite launch."  

Dan Hart, Virgin Orbit CEO, said: "After ensuring that every technical aspect is sound and every regulation and code has been satisfied, it is gratifying to see this historic endeavor on the verge of coming to fruition. This launch represents the opening of a new era in the British space industry and new partnerships across industry, government, and allies. Space is already responsible for tens of thousands of jobs across the UK, the global industry is growing quickly, and so is the potential. And this launch is demonstrating that with the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne system an airport can become a spaceport that sends humankind's innovations on their journey."

Melissa Thorpe, Head of Spaceport Cornwall, said: "This is a phenomenal moment with incredible international collaboration. Virgin Orbit, the UK Space Agency and all of our partners are breaking new ground to transform access to space across the world from right here in Cornwall. My team at Spaceport Cornwall have worked so hard to get this far and we wish everyone the best of luck as the launch window opens, we are ready."

Tim Johnson, Director for Space Regulation at the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: "Effective licensing forms an integral part of UK space activity, and with public safety at the heart of our decision making, we've worked with Virgin Orbit and Spaceport Cornwall to assess their applications and issue licences within our expected timeframe, putting the UK framework on a competitive footing with international space regulators. With all licences in place, Virgin Orbit and Spaceport Cornwall are now in a position to deliver a historic first orbital launch from UK shores. We're proud to be playing our part in facilitating the UK's space ambitions and enable this country to become a leading launch nation."

"Start Me Up’ will be the fifth consecutive Virgin Orbit launch to carry payloads for both private companies and government agencies. All of the prior 33 satellites were carried by LauncherOne to their precise desired orbit, while demonstrating the ability to fly through and above inclement weather, integrate rapid-call up payloads, and reach a broader range of orbits than would be possible from a traditional ground-launch system.

The launch was acquired by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Virgin Orbit National Systems, a Virgin Orbit U.S. subsidiary serving classified customers, as the first task order on NRO's Streamlined Launch Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity Contract, or "SLIC." 

The missions of the satellites span a wide range of activities aimed at improving life on Earth, including reducing the environmental impact of production; preventing illegal trafficking, smuggling, and terrorism; and a host of national security functions. The full Start Me Up manifest is available here.

Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rockets are designed and manufactured in Long Beach, California, and are air-launched from the wing of a converted Boeing 747-400 aircraft named "Cosmic Girl." Virgin Orbit's unique air-launch platform can take off from any runway long enough to handle a Boeing 747. Not reliant on traditional spaceports that support vertical launches, this capability creates a new level of mobility for satellite launch, thereby enabling sovereign launch capability in new markets.

posted 01-09-2023 09:07 AM               

In our fifth commercial launch, Virgin Orbit is pleased to provide livestream coverage of pre-flight operations and launch commentary throughout the day.

Join us starting at 21:15 UTC / 1:15 p.m. PT / 4:15 p.m. ET to follow along with our hosts, mission control, and the Virgin Orbit team.

posted 01-09-2023 03:48 PM               

Takeoff is projected to occur at 2:01 p.m. PT / 22:01 UTC.

Meet our Flight Crew for today's mission!

Our Pilot In Command (PIC) is rock(et)star Royal Air Force pilot, Mathew Stannard – but we call him "Stanny." He has over 200+ flight test hours and 3,000+ flight hours, not to mention 1,000 hours with RAF aircraft Tornado GR4 and the Typhoon before joining our crew.

Eric Bippert is our Flight Lieutenant, with 1,000+ hours of experience in test flights alone and 4,800+ total flight hours. Eric piloted Cosmic Girl for Tubular Bells, Above The Clouds, and Straight Up missions.

Rounding out our Cosmic Girl crew are Launch Engineers (LE) Dayle Alexander and Bryce Schaefer. They'll be managing our airborne mission control room to ensure mission success.

Dive down to meet the Launch Crew:

LE1 Dayle Alexander joined us in 2018 as Propulsion Development Engineer. She was responsible for engineering multiple engine components, including the design and analysis of NewtonFour, our second stage engine. Dayle was aboard our Straight Up mission!

LE2 Bryce Schaefer has been with us for almost 7 years, accumulating 50+ Cosmic Girl flight hours and 50+ flight test hours. He was aboard both our Launch Demos, Tubular Bells Part 1, and Straight Up missions.

This crew will ensure the health of both rocket and aircraft as we fly out to the drop point.

posted 01-09-2023 05:52 PM               

The target orbit for this mission is approximately 555km/SSO.

LauncherOne has been released from Cosmic Girl! Confirming a clean separation from Cosmic Girl and successful ignition of LauncherOne's first stage rocket engine, NewtonThree.

Hearing now that we've cleared Max Q, the point at which a rocket experiences the maximum amount of aerodynamic force.

A beautiful full-duration burn from the NewtonThree rocket engine! Confirming main engine cutoff (MECO).

Confirming successful stage separation and ignition of LauncherOne's second stage engine, NewtonFour. Shoutout to our rockstar NewtonFour team for helping us blast into orbit!

LauncherOne is now officially in space! LauncherOne has once again successfully reached Earth orbit! Our mission isn’t over yet, but our congratulations to the people of the UK! This is already the first-ever orbital mission from British soil – an enormous achievement by the UK Space Agency and their partners in government!

Unlike NewtonThree, which burns only once per mission, NewtonFour completes multiple burns to ensure we deploy the satellites into their target orbits.

As planned, the upper stage has now shut down and will coast about halfway around Earth before the engine relights to complete the mission.

We appear to have an anomaly that has prevented us from reaching orbit. We are evaluating the information.

posted 01-09-2023 06:08 PM               

As we find out more, we're removing our previous tweet about reaching orbit. We'll share more info when we can.

posted 01-10-2023 09:08 AM               

Historic UK Mission Reaches Space, Falls Short of Orbit

The historic first attempt to launch satellites from British soil reached space late last night (Jan. 9), but ultimately fell short of reaching its target orbit.

After successfully taking off from the runway at Spaceport Cornwall — which just a few weeks ago was transformed from a mere slab of empty cement at a commercial airport to the world's newest space launch operations center — and travelling to the designated drop zone, "Cosmic Girl," the customized 747 that serves as the LauncherOne system's carrier aircraft, successfully released the rocket. 

The rocket then ignited its engines, quickly going hypersonic and successfully reaching space. The flight then continued through successful stage separation and ignition of the second stage. However, at some point during the firing of the rocket's second stage engine and with the rocket travelling at a speed of more than 11,000 miles per hour, the system experienced an anomaly, ending the mission prematurely.

Though the mission did not achieve its final orbit, by reaching space and achieving numerous significant first-time achievements, it represents an important step forward. The effort behind the flight brought together new partnerships and integrated collaboration from a wide range of partners, including the UK Space Agency, the Royal Air Force, the Civil Aviation Authority, the US Federal Aviation Administration, the National Reconnaissance Office, and more, and demonstrated that space launch is achievable from UK soil.

Out of five LauncherOne missions carrying payloads for private companies and governmental agencies, this is the first to fall short of delivering its payloads to their precise target orbit.

Dan Hart, Virgin Orbit CEO, said: "While we are very proud of the many things that we successfully achieved as part of this mission, we are mindful that we failed to provide our customers with the launch service they deserve. The first-time nature of this mission added layers of complexity that our team professionally managed through; however, in the end a technical failure appears to have prevented us from delivering the final orbit. We will work tirelessly to understand the nature of the failure, make corrective actions, and return to orbit as soon as we have completed a full investigation and mission assurance process."

Matt Archer, Director of Commercial Spaceflight at the UK Space Agency, said: "Last night, Virgin Orbit attempted the first orbital launch from Spaceport Cornwall. We have shown the UK is capable of launching into orbit, but the launch was not successful in reaching the required orbit. We will work closely with Virgin Orbit as they investigate what caused the anomaly in the coming days and weeks. While this result is disappointing, launching a spacecraft always carries significant risks. Despite this, the project has succeeded in creating a horizontal launch capability at Spaceport Cornwall, and we remain committed to becoming the leading provider of commercial small satellite launch in Europe by 2030, with vertical launches planned from Scotland."

Melissa Thorpe, Head of Spaceport Cornwall, added: "We are so incredibly proud of everything we have achieved with our partners and friends across the space industry here in the UK and in the US – we made it to space – a UK first. Unfortunately we learned that Virgin Orbit experienced an anomaly which means we didn't achieve a successful mission. Today we inspired millions, and we will continue to look to inspire millions more. Not just with our ambition but also with our fortitude. Yes, space is hard, but we are only just getting started."

posted 01-10-2023 11:05 AM            

Launching small satellites is now a competitive but crowded market. So who would use Virgin Orbit with its track record, especially after SpaceX successfully lofted 40 satellites for OneWeb a few hours later?

posted 01-11-2023 11:40 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by issman1:
I'm not rubbishing Virgin Orbit but hopefully they won't be subsidised by the UK taxpayer.

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posted 01-12-2023 08:45 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by issman1:
The Transporter 6 rideshare mission...

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posted 01-12-2023 09:10 AM               

Update on 'Start Me Up' Mission Anomaly

• Mission terminated after reaching space but prior to achieving orbit as a result of premature shutdown of first burn of second stage

• Prior to "Start Me Up" mission, every customer satellite launched by Virgin Orbit had reached its desired orbit

• Virgin Orbit has begun an internal investigation into root causes

• Pending satisfactory conclusion of failure investigation and completion of corrective actions and mission assurance processes, Virgin Orbit plans its next launch from Mojave

• Discussions have begun for anticipated future return to Spaceport Cornwall

Preliminary analysis of data from the "Start Me Up" mission has begun to shed light on the outcome of the January 9th flight and next steps to follow.

Mission Recap

The "Start Me Up" mission was the first orbital launch attempt in history conducted from western Europe. The flight was conducted by Virgin Orbit's air-launched LauncherOne system from the newly commissioned Spaceport Cornwall in the UK, which just a few weeks ago was transformed from a mere slab of empty cement at a commercial airport into the world's newest space launch operations center.

After successfully proceeding through pre-launch operations and taking off as planned from the runway at Spaceport Cornwall, Virgin Orbit's carrier aircraft traveled to the bespoke drop zone selected for this mission and successfully released the rocket.

The rocket then ignited its first stage engine, quickly going hypersonic and successfully completing the stage one burn. Initial data assessments indicate that the first stage of the rocket performed as expected, that the rocket reached space altitudes, and that stage separation, ignition of the upper stage, and fairing separation similarly occurred per the planned mission timeline.

Later in the mission, at an altitude of approximately 180 km, the upper stage experienced an anomaly. This anomaly prematurely ended the first burn of the upper stage. This event ended the mission, with the rocket components and payload falling back to Earth within the approved safety corridor without ever achieving orbit.

Virgin Orbit's carrier aircraft and its crew returned safely to Spaceport Cornwall.

Update on the Investigation and Next Steps

Extensive telemetry coverage for the flight allowed for the collection of an enormous quantity of data during the mission, allowing Virgin Orbit's engineers and review board members to start their analysis immediately upon detection of the anomaly.

Virgin Orbit has initiated a formal investigation into the source of the second stage failure, to be led by Jim Sponnick (Co-Investigator), a distinguished aerospace veteran who was instrumental in the development and operations of the Atlas II, III and V launch systems and operations of the Delta II and IV launch systems and Chad Foerster (Principal Investigator), Virgin Orbit's Chief Engineer and Vice President of Technology Development. An extensive fault analysis and investigation and completion of all required corrective actions identified during the investigation will be completed prior to the next flight.

Virgin Orbit is continuing to process its next scheduled rocket through final integration and checkout ahead of its upcoming mission, which is planned to occur from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.

Virgin Orbit also anticipates returning to Spaceport Cornwall for additional launches, and is in active discussions with key government and commercial stakeholders in the UK to start planning mission opportunities for as soon as later this year.

Dan Hart, CEO of Virgin Orbit, said: "We are all disappointed that we were not able to achieve full mission success and provide the launch service that our customers deserve. Upon identifying the anomaly, our team immediately moved into a pre-planned investigation mode. Given our four previous successful missions, which have proven our technology, our team's deep understanding of the LauncherOne system from massive amounts of previously collected flight data, and the ample telemetry data that was collected characterizing the flight and the anomaly, I am confident that root cause and corrective actions will be determined in an efficient and timely manner. We are continuing to process and test our next vehicle per our plan and will implement any required modifications prior to our next launch.

"I also want to express my heartfelt appreciation to our team, who worked tirelessly under high pressure and difficult conditions, and most importantly to our customers, supporters, and partners in the UK, the US, and across the world. We thank you for the many expressions of confidence and support we have received over the past two days."

posted 02-14-2023 06:50 PM               

Virgin Orbit Update on UK Mission Anomaly

On 9 January 2023, during the first attempted orbital launch from the United Kingdom, Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne experienced an anomaly, leading to a premature shutdown of the rocket and failure to reach orbit.

Virgin Orbit began its investigation into the failure within hours of the conclusion of the mission, under the leadership of distinguished aerospace veteran Jim Sponnick and Virgin Orbit Chief Engineer Chad Foerster. The failure investigation team received immediate access to extensive telemetry data collected during the mission from the ground stations in the UK, Ireland, and Spain, as well as systems onboard its carrier aircraft, providing a robust dataset that the investigation team has thoroughly examined.

The investigation includes oversight by U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (acting as the Space Accident Investigation Authority (SAIA) for the United Kingdom) and also participation by personnel from the Department of Defense, National Transportation Safety Board, and the National Reconnaissance Office. The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority will also be involved in investigation process.

The investigation has confirmed that the Virgin Orbit team successfully executed pre-flight preparations, carrier aircraft takeoff, captive carry flight, and rocket release. The ignition, first stage flight, stage separation, second stage ignition, and fairing deployment of the LauncherOne rocket were nominal. Each of these milestones constituted a first-of-its-kind achievement for any orbital launch attempt from western Europe. LauncherOne performed successfully on all four prior operational flights, accurately delivering 33 payloads to their required orbits.

The investigation team is utilizing a comprehensive fault tree, a very detailed timeline, and several other products to conduct the investigation in a rigorous manner. Key observations at this point in the investigation:

• The data is indicating that from the beginning of the second stage first burn, a fuel filter within the fuel feedline had been dislodged from its normal position.

• Additional data shows that the fuel pump that is downstream of the filter operated at a degraded efficiency level, resulting in the Newton 4 engine being starved for fuel. Performing in this anomalous manner resulted in the engine operating at a significantly higher than rated engine temperature.

• Components downstream and in the vicinity of the abnormally hot engine eventually malfunctioned, causing the second stage thrust to terminate prematurely.

• The early thrust termination ended the mission, and the second stage and its payloads fell back to Earth, landing in the approved safety corridor in the Atlantic Ocean.

The investigation is employing a detailed action plan to develop key analyses and tests to replicate flight conditions and to aid in determining the root cause or causes of the failure. All potentially credible scenarios, including the one described above are being investigated. Numerous tests are underway to support the investigation and help lead to definitive conclusions. Ultimately, all credible causes of the failure will be addressed prior to the next LauncherOne mission.

Dan Hart, CEO of Virgin Orbit, said: "In space launch, a failure is painful for all involved. 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. However, with many clear clues from extensive data assessment now understood, we are modifying our next rocket with a more robust filter and we are looking broadly to assure that all credible contributors to mission failure are rooted out and addressed. With those modifications being incorporated on our factory floor, we will proceed cautiously toward the launch of our next rocket, which is well into the integration and test process."

Virgin Orbit's next launch will occur from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California for a commercial customer. The company anticipates announcing more details about that mission in the coming weeks.