Virgin successfully drops rocket from aircraft

[Jamie McKane]

Virgin successfully drops rocket from aircraft

Virgin Orbit has successfully completed its first rocket drop test, paving the way for a real launch later this year.

The company loaded a rocket onto its Boeing 747 launch aircraft - dubbed Cosmic Girl - and dropped a dummy LauncherOne rocket in flight over the Mojave desert.

 

[Gordon_R]

First successful launch to orbit:

Branson's Virgin rocket takes satellites to orbit

Sir Richard Branson's rocket company succeeds in putting its first satellites in space.

www.bbc.com

 

[saor]

Swak in their stupid corporate eyes for not streaming this.

 

[ArmatageShanks]

Swak in their stupid corporate eyes for not streaming this.

I also wouldn't, in case it goes horribly wrong then nobody would know, I'd stream the second or third one.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

whats so amazing about this? didn't NASA try this with its Shuttles, at least in testing.

now if somebody was to decide to resurrect the Shuttle, and make it exclusively launch from a 747. instead of from the ground

would it be an idea for some rogue billionaire to actually attempt?

 

[ArmatageShanks]

whats so amazing about this? didn't NASA try this with its Shuttles, at least in testing.

now if somebody was to decide to resurrect the Shuttle, and make it exclusively launch from a 747. instead of from the ground

would it be an idea for some rogue billionaire to actually attempt?

Didn't they also do this in 1950's with Chuck Yager? Launching a rocket from a plane that is.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Didn't they also do this in 1950's with Chuck Yager? Launching a rocket from a plane that is.

exactly, long history of doing air launching from a "mother" ship.
why cant it work all the time?

 

[saor]

whats so amazing about this? didn't NASA try this with its Shuttles, at least in testing.

now if somebody was to decide to resurrect the Shuttle, and make it exclusively launch from a 747. instead of from the ground

would it be an idea for some rogue billionaire to actually attempt?

Nobody said it was amazing. Imo it's newsworthy because it's private enterprise actively pushing space flight.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Nobody said it was amazing. Imo it's newsworthy because it's private enterprise actively pushing space flight.

Id be more amazed when some private company becomes the first to mine an asteroid remotely.
and become Richer than any known company before them.

 

[ArmatageShanks]

Also

Is it really cheaper to launch a 747 and take it to 45 000 than to propel a rocket to that altitude?

 

[saor]

Also

Is it really cheaper to launch a 747 and take it to 45 000 than to propel a rocket to that altitude?

Probably saves on requiring dedicated launch facilities. Rocket can be launched from anywhere there's a runway. In future could possibly hitch a ride with a 747 that's doing other things.

Not sure about the actual fuel difference for a 747 leveraging lift with its wings vs. mostly straight up vertical ascent with a rocket.

 

[grok]

I read that heading as 'a virgin successfully dropped from a rocket by an aircraft'.

Thought: god what a waste..

 

[longboy]

I read that heading as 'a virgin successfully dropped from a rocket by an aircraft'.

Thought: god what a waste..

I came here expecting the same.