Following the lift off of carrier aircraft “Cosmic Girl” at 0549 GMT from the Mojave Air and Space Port, California on 2 July, and after flying out over the Pacific, Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket was air-dropped at 0653 GMT with the first engine igniting soon afterwards. The mission, named “Straight Up” by Virgin Orbit, carried seven satellites for the US Space Force with payloads from the Department of Defense Space Test Program, to low Earth orbit (LEO).
The rocket’s payloads were Compact Solar Total Irradiance Monitor, GPX2, Gunsmoke-L, Modular ISR (MISR) Satellite program, NACHOS-2, Recurve and Slingshot 1. After LauncherOne entered an initial transfer orbit and after a coast, lasting 45 minutes, the rocket fired its upper stage engine again and placed the satellites into a 500 km orbit inclined at 45 degrees.
For the first time Virgin Orbit opted for an evening launch over a daytime one, in part as practice for future missions. The news also marked the fifth orbital launch for the company which hopes to conduct the first orbital launch by any vehicle from the UK, in September.
“Straight Up” is Virgin Orbit’s first mission to launch at night, unlike all of its previous LauncherOne missions – which have taken place in daylight.
Courtesy: Virgin Orbit/ David Massena.
