- Virgin Orbit successfully sent a rocket into space on Wednesday, launched from a 747 jet over the Pacific Ocean
- The modified 747 aircraft took off from Mojave Air and Space Port, about 90 miles north of Los Angeles
- his marked the second successful orbital mission for California-based Virgin Orbit
MOJAVE, California: Virgin Orbit successfully sent a rocket into space on Wednesday, launched from a 747 jet over the Pacific Ocean.
The rocket delivered seven satellites into earth orbit.
The modified 747 aircraft took off from Mojave Air and Space Port, about 90 miles north of Los Angeles.
Once over the Pacific, the rocket dropped from the wing of the jet, followed by the rocket’s thrusters firing and it being launched it into orbit.
This marked the second successful orbital mission for California-based Virgin Orbit.
“She’s capable of lifting up to 300 kilograms or 650 pounds to low Earth orbit,” Wade McEroy, chief of staff for Virgin Orbit subsidiary Vox Space, said of the rocket during a live broadcast.
The two-stage rocket took about nine minutes to reach outer space.
The satellites deployed by Virgin included four for the U.S. Department of Defense, two STORK Earth observation satellites for Poland-based space company SatRevolution and the first small satellite for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, BRIK II, which will provide military communications and navigation.
