Saturday, December 24, 2022

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit gets green light for first orbital space launch from UK — and will use a repurposed Boeing 747 for the mission

Kate Duffy
Wed, December 21, 2022

Virgin Orbit was founded by Richard Branson.


Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit gained a license for the first orbital space launch from the UK.


The mission, based at Spaceport Cornwall, will send small satellites into orbit.


A Boeing 747 named Cosmic Girl will release a rocket from underneath its wing after takeoff.


Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit has been granted its remaining licenses, setting the stage for the first orbital space launch to take off from British soil.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK's space regulator, announced in a statement on Wednesday that Virgin Orbit was permitted to launch from Spaceport Cornwall in southern England. The company, founded by Branson, had "taken all reasonable steps to ensure safety risks arising from launch activities are as low as reasonably practicable," the CAA said.

Issuing the final license to Virgin Orbit for the UK's first orbital satellite launch was another "major milestone," the CAA said in the statement.


Virgin Orbit's Cosmic Girl.PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

The UK's transport secretary, Mark Harper, who agreed to grant the license, said in the statement that the launch "reinforces our position as a leading space nation as we look to the future of spaceflight, which can spur growth and innovation across the sector, as well as creating thousands of jobs and apprenticeships."

The launch was scheduled to happen on December 14, but the date was pushed back because of regulatory and technical challenges, Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart told media outlets at the time. Virgin Orbit didn't respond to Insider's request for comment about the new launch date.

Virgin Orbit has named the mission "Start Me Up" after a song by The Rolling Stones.


The launch will involve a repurposed Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 aircraft, named Cosmic Girl, flying 35,000 feet into the sky. It will release Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket stored under the wing. The rocket will then release a batch of satellites into orbit.


Richard Branson.Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

Virgin Orbit, which provides launch services for small satellites, is part of Branson's Virgin Group, which offers a wide range of amenities such as healthcare and airlines. Another part of the group is Virgin Galactic, a commercial-spaceflight company.

Branson was a passenger on Virgin Galactic's first crewed flight to the edge of space in July 2021. The VSS Unity, a rocket-powered plane, lifted off from Virgin Galactic's facilities at Spaceport America in New Mexico and flew more than 50 miles above the Earth.

Virgin Orbit issued licences ahead of Cornwall space launch


Wed, December 21, 2022 

Virgin Orbit's Cosmic Girl has been at Spaceport Cornwall since October

The final remaining licences required for Virgin Orbit to launch from Spaceport Cornwall have been issued by the UK space regulator.

The Civil Aviation Authority has granted the launch operator and range control licences, which have been signed off by the Transport Secretary.

The CAA said it was "another major milestone" towards the first orbital space launch from UK soil.

A launch from the spaceport at Cornwall Airport Newquay is expected in January.

Earlier in December the launch was pushed back due to technical issues.

Virgin Orbit's Cosmic Girl 747 has been at Spaceport Cornwall since October, followed a week later by their LauncherOne rocket that will carry nine satellites.

The CAA said the company had "taken all reasonable steps to ensure safety risks arising from launch activities are as low as reasonably practicable".

Tim Johnson, director for space regulation at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: "This is another major milestone in enabling the very first orbital space launch from UK shores and these licences will assist Virgin Orbit with their final preparations for launch."

Spaceport Cornwall was granted an operating licence by the CAA in November.

Each of the nine satellites also requires a licence, but these are understood to be imminent.

Analysis by Jon Amos, BBC Science Correspondent

It's been a complex business pulling together all the regulatory threads for this licence.

Demonstrating its rocket system is safe has been paramount of course, but Virgin has also had to pass environmental as well as fit and proper person tests.

In addition, the location of the upcoming launch, out over the Atlantic, has required the agreement and co-ordination of the Irish, Spanish and Portuguese governments.

The nod from Dublin was complicated in recent weeks by the changeover of prime minister, or Taoiseach.

The CAA has kept its promise, however, to process a rocket licence application in under 18 months.

We were expecting a launch on 14 December, but this was pushed back when Virgin Orbit discovered a technical issue on one of its Newton rocket engines during testing in California.

This demanded further inspection and assessment of the rocket already delivered to Newquay for the Cornwall launch.

Once the company is satisfied it's ready, a further notice to aircraft and mariners will be issued to warn them of the activity that's coming, expected for sometime in January.

Dan Hart, chief executive of Virgin Orbit, said the licencing decision "takes us one step closer to the first satellite launch take-off from UK soil".

He said: "This is a major milestone for the CAA and represents the successful completion of an enormous effort, which has included the construction of new regulations, new processes and new teams."

A specific date for the launch has not yet been set.

Melissa Thorpe, head of Spaceport Cornwall, said: "We are thrilled for the Virgin Orbit licenses to be in place for this historic launch.

"It has been an incredible effort by all partners to reach this milestone, and my team cannot wait to share in the excitement of the upcoming launch with everyone that has made it happen."

Speaking to BBC Radio Cornwall, Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay, said he was very keen for the launch to take place.

He said: "For me this is such an exciting opportunity for Cornwall and something I'm now desperate to see happen."

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