The modified jumbo jet took off from Mojave Air and Space
Port in the Mojave Desert and released the rocket over the Pacific Ocean,
northwest of Los Angeles.
The launch was procured by the US Space Force for a Defense
Department test programme. The seven payloads will conduct various experiments.
“And there we have it, folks!” the company tweeted shortly
before 1:00am local time, about an hour after the rocket separated from the
747. “NewtonFour successfully reignited and deployed all customer spacecraft
into their target orbit.”
It was Virgin Orbit's fourth commercial launch and first
night launch. The launch was originally scheduled for Wednesday night, but that
attempt was scrubbed due to a propellant temperature issue.
Virgin Orbit named the mission “Straight Up” after the hit
on Paula Abdul's debut studio album “Forever Your Girl,” which was released
through Virgin Records in 1988.
Virgin Orbit was founded in 2017 by British billionaire
Richard Branson. It is headquartered in Long Beach, California, and currently
conducts launches from the Mojave airport but is planning international
missions.
Later this year, the company will launch two satellites on a
mission flying out of Newquay Airport in Cornwall, England. The satellites will
conduct radio signal monitoring tests in a joint project of the United
Kingdom's Ministry of Defense and the US National Reconnaissance Office.
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