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Did you know that there is a Boeing 747 that "shoots" satellites? Today we tell you about the mission of Virgin Orbit. Virgin Orbit press photo
Aviation is full of curious facts and topics that we may not have known about, but today we will talk about an aeronautical classic Boeing 747-400 which was given a second life to launch satellites into space for different clients.
It is Boeing 747 operates from Mojave, the great desert which you have surely heard before because it is a great airplane graveyard, but it is also the basis of several development and technology projects, like the one we are going to learn more about today.
the boeing 747 launches Virgin Orbit satellites
Virgin Orbit operates one of the most flexible and responsive space launch systems ever built. Founded by Sir Richard Branson on 2017, The company began commercial service in 2021 and has already put commercial satellites into orbit, civilians, national security and international.
Virgin Orbit's unique air launch platform frees small satellite customers from fixed ground infrastructure, traffic jams at the launch fields and unfavorable weather conditions. Cosmic Girl takes the LauncherOne rocket to an altitude of approximately 35,000 feet before its launch for its rocket-powered flight to orbit. The plane 747-400 has many attributes that contribute to the ideal dedicated trip for small satellites: the aircraft's large and robust rocket-carrying capacity, operational flexibility, the long range, the ability to operate in many types of weather and Virgin's existing B747 experience, maintenance and spare parts supply chains.
Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rockets are designed and manufactured in Long Beach, California, and are airdropped from a Boeing transport plane 747-400 modified allowing Virgin Orbit to operate from locations around the world to better meet the needs of each customer.
The most recent mission
Were 7 satellites that were successfully transported into space in a single launch during the “Above the Clouds” mission.
Due to the unique air launch system that Virgin Orbit has developed, Above the Clouds mission launched into an orbit never before accessible directly from the west coast of the Americas. Instead of launching from a fixed platform on the ground, Virgin Orbit launches from under the wing of an airplane Boeing 747 modified, and as you fly the plane further over the ocean, the company was able to launch on a trajectory with no ground launch ever done before.
That direct launch into orbit saved the satellites on board this mission months of time and kilograms of combustible.
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The truth is that the second life they have given to this one is very nice. 747, It is very interesting how they adapted it for these missions, I hope they keep this plane for many more years.. Good post, very interesting, I never thought they would launch satellites this way, very interesting.
It's really interesting, that's why I wrote the post, it is unique.